Tao and the Art of Love
by AgLingua42
Summary: Tao has come to experience everything in her life. From near death experience to the joy of a home cooked meal. Yet, there is something she has yet to know...the touch of true love. TaoXOC
1. Heart Guy?

Hello and welcome to another one of my fictions. I know it has been quite a while since my last update and I will make no falsehood, my inspiration and work ethic comes at very bizarre and awkward spurts. I only wish that I would do more but alas here we are, in something that I consider one of my favorite projects lately. It takes place in the Blazeblue video game world and it considers Taokaka and one of my own original characters, something that I'm sure has happened a million times before. In any case I want to bring this to because I've loved this fiction ever since I started it and I wanted to post it to see if anyone else liked it. So without any further adieu, here we go!

(Disclaimer) I do not own anything aside from my OC, thank you and goodnight.

Chapter One: Heart Guy?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Rebel One: Begin~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Booby-lady, booby-lady, booby-lady!"

The sweet, melodic voice echoed against the walls; innocent charm radiating off the otherwise vulgar words. The young woman who sang the melody danced down the street, casually avoiding collisions with unnatural style and grace on her angled shoes. Her massive cream colored jacket covered her from head to mid thigh, obscuring her face in shadow except for two glowing crimson eyes and a row of sharp spiky teeth, perpetually locked in a Cheshire smile. This precocious young thing, named Tao, was a member of the mysterious Kaka clan, a race of cat-beast men that dwelt beneath the city of Kagatsuchi. However, despite their somewhat shadowed past, Tao bounded her way down the sidewalk, idly swinging her gigantic paws while singing her ridiculous song. As a member of the clan, and greatest warrior of the small group, Tao was among the few allowed outside of the clan for a surface side 'stroll.' However this walk had a purpose, that purpose swinging from Taokaka's right paw at the very moment. A purpose made of simple paper that, had anyone known it, would change the fate of Taokaka and the whole of the Kaka clan itself.

With immaculate grace Tao landed before a door, easily turning the knob despite her bulky paws, and slamming the door open with a bright cry of "BOOBIE-LADY! I CAME FOR A VISIT!" With the wild shout every movement in the small clinic froze, old men and women gripped their chests as they stared at the excitable young Kaka. "Tao?" came a sound, a voice from the back room accompanied by short and quick footsteps. In a small flurry of beads Tao was greeted by the hospitals main physician, Litchi Faye-Ling and her generous bust, the main source for Tao's loving nickname.

"Hey yah booby-lady!" Tao said with a bright grin, bounding over to Litchi with quick and silent steps. Litchi gave Tao a resigned smile, "Hello Tao, what are you doing so far from the Village?" Catching the glances from the other patrons of the hospital and their curious glances Litchi amended her statement, "and what have I told you about calling me that. My name is Miss. Litchi, remember that okay Tao?" Tao gave Litchi a shimmering smile, "Alright booby-lady, I remembered it." Litchi gave a sigh of defeat, of all the days to give Linhua a day off, "So what are you doing so far from the village Tao?" Tao smiled and held up her massive paw, presenting Litchi with the small scrap of paper, "Tao was supposed to give this to meow! It's from the village elder and she said it was verrry important nya!"

Litchi accepted the paper from Tao, reading the note which spoke of a minor illness which had taken over half of the Kaka clan in under a month. Fatalities were not imminent but due to the possible seither nature of the illness, the elder was calling out to Litchi for support in their time of need. Litchi smiled and nodded, "alright Tao, did the elder tell you anything about the letter?" Tao shook her head, "nope, she just said to do this, nya!" Tao immediately stuck out her tongue, the normally pink organ was stained a sickly yellow and seemed to have light tinges of green on the edges. Litchi was shocked, almost to the point of jumping back from Tao's bold actions. However, Litchi almost immediately recognized the coloration as something encountered in the first few years after the black beast was defeated.

"Alright Tao, I'm going to give you some medicine to take back to the village," Litchi said, walk back through her beads, "just give one to every person in the village and everyone should be just fine alright?" Litchi had taken to the backroom expecting Tao to not follow, her skills for judgment overcome by her concern for the Kaka village. "Gotcha booby-lady," Tao joyfully spoke, hopping along behind Litchi in a flash. Litchi turned and was instantly face to face with Tao, the grinning cat girl leaning in close to the older and more experienced woman. "Tao," Litchi said with some annoyance, "go wait outside please."

"Aw but why, meow?" Tao whined, following Litchi despite the doctor's insistence. "Because there is still a patient here Tao," Litchi said, slipping past another barrier of beads into a hospital room. "Aw but booby-lady!" Tao said dashing through the beads, only registering her path before it was a might too late. In seconds Tao was frozen stiff, her eyes locked on the wall of flesh that stood before her, tanned skin marred by a massive ugly scarred slash. Out of pure surprise Tao stumbled backward, falling through the beads and coming to land with a heavy thud on her head. "Ow, ow, ow!" Tao moaned while sitting bolt upright and clutching her aching skull between her two massive paws.

"I'm sorry," a voice, deep and concerned, spoke," are you alright?"

Tao looked up into a deep azure eyes, twin pools of ocean colored irises stared at her with mild concern and slight amusement. Above these orbs was a head of shaggy chestnut brown hair, softly spiked of its own nature. Tao's eyes took in more of the person, a man obviously, as he knelt by her side, "Miss? Are you alright?" Tao felt her smile come much easier than normal despite the ache in her skull, "aw Tao is alright, meow! Booby-lady says Tao has a hard head a-nya-way." A single eyebrow raised in confusion, "if you say so Miss...Tao?" Tao nodded, hopping to her feet as the mystery man stood in a much more controlled fashion, "Yep, Tao is Taokaka!" The man gave Tao a small smirk, amused by her energetic response, "alright Taokaka, I'm sorry about bumping into you. Ms. Litchi was treating me earlier and suddenly ran out...to meet up with you I'm guessing?" Tao confirmed with a nod, "and when she came back I stood up to ask her what happened. Apparently that's when you came in the door and, well, ran into me."

"Aw Tao is sorry..." with this Tao paused, her sharp crimson eyes taking in every aspect of his body. The man was dressed in a thick sleeveless black sweater, the collar riding so high on his neck it threatened to swallow the lower half of his face. All along his arms were gloves, thick, flexible leather crawling up to his elbow with smatterings of metal along his joints for support. His dark blue pants were fairly loose, the cuffs tucked into a pair of flexible leather boots. Wrapped across his body from shoulder to hip was a thick leather sash, multiple bulges present in the numerous pockets sewn into the material. As Tao contemplated a name for the man her eyes landed onto his left arm, upon the small space of open skin between his high glove and the cuff of his sweater. Between that space was a large scrawling tattoo, winding and twisting patterns forming anything the imagination dare decide. Instantly Tao had his name, a bright grin adorning her lips as she spoke, "Tao is sorry for running into you Heart Guy!"

"Heart...Guy?" the man blinked, confusion evident in his tone. Tao quickly pointed to the man's left arm, indicating the tattoo dressing his skin, "Yeah Heart Guy, the drawing looks like a heart, nya." The man looked to his arm, silent for a few moments before he let out a gentle laugh, "Heh, first time I've heard that one." Before more conversation could commence the soft voice of Ms. Litchi broke the small silence, "Kagimaru? Are you still here?" "Yes Dr. Litchi," Kagimaru said, turning to head back into the room, "I'll be right there." With a swish of beads Kagimaru left Tao alone, but that wasn't to say Tao had left Kagimaru alone.

Tao rapidly followed after Kagimaru, finding Dr. Litchi talking to Kagimaru in soft whispers. Kagimaru nodded every so often, whispering back whenever there was a pause. "Booby-lady," Tao began, shifting uncomfortably at the entrance of the room, "do you have anything for Tao?" Kagimaru snickered a bit, unfamiliar with Litchi's nickname but was instantly silenced by a sharp jab from the doctor, "yes I do Tao, and the batch of medicine for your clan is being mixed right now." Tao smiled brightly, "thanks booby-lady!" "Yes, yes Tao," Litchi sighed with exasperation, "it will take roughly two hours to get the full amount prepared, can you wait that long?" Instantly, Tao's grin fell, "two hours? Aw...that like...nya! Tao is already bored! Will booby-lady play with Tao while she waits?" "Well I can't keep you company right now Tao," Litchi said regretfully, "I have a full schedule of patients."

"I'll keep her occupied," Kagimaru said with a small smirk, "I'm sure I know enough things around the city to keep Tao interested and off your back." Tao was instantly in full swing smile mode, dancing from side to side in joy, "nya! Heart Guy will stay with Tao! Yay!" Litchi looked to Kagimaru, an eyebrow raised, "Heart Guy?" Kagimaru smirked, "coming from booby-lady I'm not that insulted." Litchi rolled her eyes, "are you sure you can handle Tao, Kagimaru? With your injury you shouldn't try anything too strenuous." Kagimaru grinned, "Ah I'll be fine Dr. Litchi. Besides, you told me that the Kaka clan doesn't come to the surface that often so it might be a good opportunity to show Tao around." Litchi returned Kagimaru's smile with a soft smirk, "I also said Tao would eat you out of house and home if given the chance." Kagimaru's grin widened and a touch of amusement colored his tone, "we'll see about that."

"C'mon Heart Guy," Tao said, her gigantic pawed hands wrapping around Kagimaru's left arm, "Tao wants to go right neow!" "Alright Tao," Kagimaru said, being dragged out of the office as he called back, "I'll pay when we come back Dr. Litchi!" Litchi laughed lightly as she heard the door of the clinic open and close taking the animated talking of Tao with it, "good luck Kagimaru, you'll need it."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Roar of Time~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Nya...Tao is so full..." purred Taokaka as she sprawled out on the floor of the small clinic, casually napping in the warm beam of light that streamed through the window. One paw rested on her stuffed stomach as the other supported her napping head, the ear flaps of her coat twitching every so often in her dreams. Not too far away Kagimaru smirked in amusement, his hands holding a book as he carefully read it. Entertaining Tao had been much easier than Litchi had led him to think, showing her some of the recently built arcades had been a brilliant plan especially when Tao latched herself onto a dancing rhythm game. Kagimaru was fairly certain that no normal human would be able to beat the score Tao racked up. Following the fun and games the offer of food more than held Tao's interest, attracting the cat like bees to honey. Litchi wasn't kidding about Tao's legendary stomach, Kagimaru thought he was a big eater but Tao had utterly destroyed him, easily racking up three times his intake without even slowing down. After such a satisfying meal it was only natural for the cat to nap and what better place than the clinic where sunshine and silence was almost guaranteed.

Dr. Litchi's surprise was evident upon their return. Not many were able to keep up with Tao let alone cause her to go into a food coma so she was more than happy to let them use one of the few examination rooms in the clinic, a place with a perfect pool of sun for the Kaka to nap in. Kagimaru flipped a page; casually casting a glance up every so often to make sure Tao hadn't died or awoken despite the fact that they had returned Kagimaru had volunteered to keep an eye on the hyperactive Kaka. So far she seemed pretty sedated, it puzzled him why Litchi had presented Tao as being such a difficult person...

"Tao? Kagimaru? Are you still in there?" sounded Litchi's voice, calling through the door accompanied by a soft knock. "Yes Dr. Litchi," Kagimaru replied, closing his book and slipping it into his pocket," you can come in." Litchi opened the door with a medium sized bag dangling from her hand, soft rattles and other sounds confirmed the medicinal nature of the items within. "Tao is still asleep hm?" Litchi stated, looking at the sleeping girl. "Yep," Kagimaru chuckled, "I still don't know why you said that she's a pain to get along with." "You don't have her calling you booby lady all the time," Litchi sighed as Kagimaru restrained an outright laugh, "but we need to wake her up, we've completed the medicine for her to take back to her clan."

Kagimaru nodded, standing up from his seat in a slow stretch, "hey Tao, wake up Tao." Tao didn't respond beyond a quiet mumble, rolling over on her side with a quiet meow. Bending down Kagimaru gently shook Tao's shoulder, "Hey Tao, time to wake up Tao." "Nya...Heart Guy leave Tao alone," Tao complained, yawning as she attempted to roll further away from his intruding presence, "Tao was just dreaming about delicious meat buns..." Kagimaru rolled his eyes, looking to Litchi for support but found her with an amused grin on her face. Feeling a small bit of determination build up in his chest he shook Tao harder, "Wake up Tao, you need to get home to save your village remember?"

Tao moaned in annoyance but slowly sat up, not feeling an upturned nail hook a stray thread on her hood. With a soft swish of material Tao's hood fell away, piling at the back of her neck as her full face was revealed. Her tanned complexion was smooth and angelic, platinum blond hair curling around from the back of her neck in two thick braids. Above a pair of sleepy crimson eyes was a fringe of bangs, blond uneven edges framing her innocent face. Tao's eyes glowed a brilliant ruby even in the sunlight and as she yawned, her wide maw opened to a row of pearly white fangs. Crowning the top of her head were a pair of feline ears, black midnight fur ending in a sharp ivory point. "Tao..." Dr. Litchi said in surprise, looking upon the young Kaka woman in surprise. It was rare to impossible to catch a Kaka with their hood down so Litchi was never certain what they looked like underneath their facial shadows. "Um...Tao...your..." Kagimaru started, indicating Tao's hood had fallen in her rise. However, in her half slumbering state Tao didn't understand Kagimaru, instead tilting her head to the side in slight confusion, "hm? Is something wrong Heart Guy?" Kagimaru pointed at Tao's head but Litchi was the one to respond, "Your hood fell down Tao."

This seemed to have an instant affect on Tao, her cheeks turning a bright crimson red as she reached up to feel her head. Upon realization of the fact Tao instantly covered herself, pulling her hood until it completely covered her face with cream colored cloth, "ah! Nya, not good not good! Look away right neow!" Litchi respected Tao's insistence but Kagimaru couldn't, his eyes still locked on Tao as he remembered her face beyond the shadows. Suddenly Tao jumped up, both paws still holding her hood as she dashed out the door, completely forgetting the bag of medicine.

"Oh no, Tao!" Litchi called, watching the blur of white streak from the clinic, "You have to take the medicine for the village! Tao!" It was too late, the young Kaka was already far out of hearing range, her paws clapped over her head to avoid being seen again. Litchi stared after Tao, wondering what earned that reaction from the usually confident and enthusiastic kitten. Litchi's ravine was interrupted by a soft rattling, her head turning to see Kagimaru picking up the bag of medicine and slinging it over his shoulder. "I'll deliver the medicine," Kagimaru said calmly, looking Litchi in the eye as he spoke, "where is the Kaka village?" For a moment Litchi was speechless, wondering momentarily if Kagimaru was that trustworthy. A soft smile came across her lips, "Do you know where the Dim Sum shop is?"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Roar of Time / Spacial Rend~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Oh this is bad," a soft voice whined, "this is very, very bad..." The voice belonged to Tao, her head still clutched in her paws as she rocked back and forth, swaying gently beneath the single ray of sun which penetrated the darkness of the Kaka village. Anxiety rocked every aspect of her form; from her flattened ears to her twitching tail Tao appeared to be a bundle of overcharged nerves. It didn't help that her paws continued to clutch at her hood, unwilling to loosen her grip on the material for any amount of money in the world. Perhaps it was this self isolation along with her quiet muttering that caused her to ignore the presence behind her.

"Tao?" Instantly Tao's ears perked up, her whole body tensing as she whipped around to face the voice. "Heart Guy," Tao said in confusion, "what...how'd mew get here?" Kagimaru smirked, slowly approaching Taokaka with the bag of medicine rattling across his back, "oh from a little birdie here and there." "Nya?" Tao exclaimed, her paw scratching her head in confusion, "what birdie where?" Kagimaru rolled his eyes, "it's an expression Tao. Dr. Litchi asked if I could take the medicine to you and she pointed me right here. After I got under the city I just followed the most worn path." "Oh," Tao said with a bit of rejection, her paw unconsciously tightening on her hood, "so why'd mew follow me here, nya?" Kagimaru gently sat down beside Tao, offering her the bag filled with the musical rattle of health, "you left this behind at Dr. Litchi's clinic. It's the medicine for the village you were supposed to bring with you remember?" Kagimaru could see the glowing eyes of Tao widen in surprise then close in sheepish embarrassment, "oh, nya...I forgot."

Tao accepted the satchel gingerly, taking it in her massive paw and setting it beside herself. Despite delivering the package Kagimaru didn't move. Instead he remained seated beside Tao, staring at her in a way Tao wasn't familiar with. Tao could feel his glance on her, the corner of her eyes just catching his deep blue eyes looking at her...

"Nya!" Tao shouted in frustration, her body turning toward Kagimaru and her arms coming up in preparation for a few punches, "you wanya fight Heart Guy?" Kagimaru blinked in confusion before laughing lightly, "what? Where did that come from Tao?" Tao crossed her arms in indignation, turning away from Kagimaru with her nose to the sky, "you were staring at Tao, it made Tao angry." This time it was Kagimaru's turn to be sheepish, his hand combing through his shaggy mane as he spoke, "oh, sorry about that. I was just wondering..." Tao gave Kagimaru a peek out the side of her hood, "wondering what nya?" "Why you ran off so fast after your hoo-"

Before he got a chance to finish Tao had pounced upon him, her massive paws clapping over his mouth, claws extended, as she hissed, "be quiet about that Heart Guy! Tao could get in a lot of trouble, nya!" Kagimaru nodded the best he could under the situation, being pinned beneath Tao was interesting, but at the moment the murderous gleam in her eye and the foot long claws made him more than a little worried. Tao stayed atop her capture prey for a few moments before gracefully sliding off of Kagimaru, returning to her prime location in the sun. Kagimaru wiped his mouth, still feeling the padded paws holding his lips shut as he asked, "so why did you run...and why did you attack me just now?"

Taokaka was silent for a long while, facing away from Kagimaru as she looked over the village. It was small but lively, little kittens running wild in the streets while adults walked about, looking up to the iron sky with wistful gazes. One couple walked hand in hand, strolling along as they smiled in the depths of their jackets. "Kaka are never supposed to remove their hoods," Tao said with calm resolve, an emotion that confused and slightly worried Kagimaru. "All Kaka keep their hoods on while outside of their homes and only when they are at home can they let them down. It's a Kaka clan tradition, nya," Tao explained, beginning to rub her paws together in worry. "If a Kaka lets down their hood to someone...for anya reason...they have to..." Tao began to fret slightly, her tail swishing behind her with nervous electricity, "they have to..."

"They have to what Tao?" Kagimaru asked, curiosity hitting him like a house of lead.

"They have to marry..." Tao said with obvious embarrassment in her tone as her cheeks burnt bright ruby through the shadow of her hood.

To say Kagimaru was surprised would be akin to saying the black beast was a minor threat. His heart thumped radically in his chest, thoughts racing through his head without abandon as he tried to rationalize the situation. The only evidence of his frenzied though was his fingers, idly rubbing against one another almost as if his muscles remembered something being there to work his stress out on. In contrast to Kagimaru's silent contemplation Tao was fretting endlessly, fidgeting and twitching as she spoke and meowed to herself endlessly. Her claws raked along the ground in frustration as she cursed anything she could think of, even the black squiggly found its way into her frustrated hisses. It was around the tenth time that she scarred the dirt that she felt Kagimaru's hand on her shoulder, a soft heat emanating from his palm and through her jacket.

"Tao," Kagimaru said, his deep voice having a strangely calming effect on Tao, "if anyone knew...would you be forced into it?" Tao nodded slowly, "nya...even if it was just an accident the Kaka must be married. It's a clan tradition." Kagimaru had a sudden smile on his lips, "So what happens if...three people are involved?" Tao blinked, remembering for a moment that not only had Kagimaru had seen her but Litchi as well. "Tao doesn't meow...Tao doesn't remember if it's ever happened before," Tao confessed, thinking with all of her might. Kagimaru smirked, "so first of all Tao, who knows about it besides you, Litchi, and me?" Tao tilted her head to the side, attempting to understand Kagimaru's angle, "no one..." "And if anyone did know, how would they force you to marry two people hm?" Kagimaru triumphantly smiled, realization dawning in Tao as she stared into his bright grin. "So if no one knows, then Tao doesn't need to marry a-nya-one," Tao said, slowly becoming more excited, "and if they did, how would Tao marry two, right?" Kagimaru nodded, "exactly Tao."

Before he knew it Kagimaru was knocked flat on his back, Tao lunging on him with impressive speed and strength, "oh thank mew! Thank mew! THANK MEW!" Kagimaru sighed and rolled his eyes, making Tao happy was a dangerous but rewarding sport. It was around the time that Tao began to furiously nuzzle his chest that he understood Litchi's pain, Tao was certainly the affectionate one...but then again, her innocent affection was rather nice...

Without a word of sound Tao was once again on her feet, springing right up with bag of medicine in her paw. "Thanks a lot Heart Guy," Tao said with a bright gleaming smile, "Tao will run into Heart Guy lots more, meow?" Kagimaru gave Tao a smirk, nodding as he stood up, "it's a deal."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~End~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

So what do you think? I know it's short but I hope you enjoyed! Don't worry, there is more in store! Don't forget to read and review! Thank you and have a good one!


	2. Vigisomething?

Hello and welcome to another chapter of "Tao and the Art of Love." Through the time since I've posted this story I've come to realize that I am playing to a very, very specific niche of people, not all of whom leave reviews. However, I've also come to realize that I've taken a special heart to this story. I would like feed back, I would like comments on how I am doing, but all in all I jut want people to have a good time as they read. With that said, I hope you enjoy this next chapter of "Tao and the Art of Love!"

Disclaimer: I own nothing from Blazblue except a decent winning streak as Tao and Ragna

Chapter 2: Vigil...something?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~REBEL 2: START!~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

From they moment they met, random encounters between Taokaka and Kagimru were very common, Kagimaru would frequently see Taokaka singing her way to Litchi's clinic while Tao would ambush Kagimaru whenever he was out and about in the city. On each occasion Kagimaru would help Tao with her errands for the village while Taokaka would assist Kagimaru with his day job. The job itself was something Taokaka was familiar with, the task of vigilantism. Tao was surprised to learn Kagimaru was a vigilante; however Kagimaru was even more shocked to learn Tao was one as well. It was one of those days where Kagimaru decided to treat Tao to dinner, his wallet screamed vile curses as he promised to pick up the tab.

"You're a vigilante Tao?" Kagimaru asked with interest, a hand cupping his chin in thought. Tao nodded enthusiastically, "yep! Tao is a vigil...something and she's trying to make lots of meow-ney!" "Oh?" Kagimaru asked, "Why do you need a lot of money? You seem pretty happy." Tao frowned and crossed her arms, an adorable pout from the young Kaka warrior, "it's because we can't see the sky anymore." "You can't see the sky?" Kagimaru asked, confusion drenching his tone, "What do you mean?"

Tao was quiet for a moment, her eyes staring miles into the distance as she gave as deep of thought as she could, "the village elder told me that when she was just a kitten, people built a huge thingy over the village and blocked off the sun. She told me that if I made enough money then I could get the sky back, nya..." Tao's response was quiet, a tone of sorrow playing across the Kaka's lips as she spoke. Kagimaru could almost feel her want, her desire to save her village. "Also," Tao said with a small smile, "this black squiggly has a HUGE bounty on his head and because of him Kaka have been disappearing from the village lately. Tao thinks that if Tao catches the black squiggly she'll make enough money for the village and stop the Black Squiggly all at once, nya!" Tao's energy was back, her paw hitting the table with the full force of her enthusiasm behind it. Kagimaru just smiled at Tao, her innocent dreams were almost too much to bear.

"What about mew Heart Guy?" Tao asked, sitting back down and tilting her head in a quizzical expression, "why are you a...vigil-something." Kagimaru chuckled, "vigilante Tao, vigilante." Tao concentrated, her eyes narrowing as she spoke, "vigi-lanta?" Kagimaru could feel the laughter push against his ribs but he kept quiet, "close enough Tao. As for why I'm a vigilante...I just wanted to be one." Tao tilted her head to the side, "meow?"

"I have no real revenge against anyone or any real specific purpose for becoming a vigilante. I just wanted to be it one day and decided I might as well give it a try," Kagimaru said with a shrug, calmly sipping his tea. Tao was silent for a moment, her ears twitching beneath her hood before she spoke, "Tao thinks Heart Guy is lying." Kagimaru coughed, nearly choking on his tea, as he looked up to Tao, her expression innocent yet stubborn in her assumption. Kagimaru smirked as he set his tea down, wiping his mouth with a napkin before he spoke, "I can't put much past you can I?" "Heart Guy's pulse went crazy when he told Tao that," Tao said, leaning forward with narrow eyes, "what is Heart Guy hiding, nya?"

"I don't really know what I'm doing Tao," Kagimaru said honestly, "I don't know what has been happening with my life for so long, one day I just woke up and I was a vigilante with this lock on my neck." To emphasize his point he hooked a finger on his collar, pulling it down to reveal a thin metal choker locked around his neck. Right at his Adams apple was a small key hole, a locking mechanism holding the steel ring shut, "my life was such a blur I didn't know when the sun rose or set, I couldn't even feel my body some days, and I could even spend days unconscious but my body still found a way to move and do things. Recently everything has slowed down and begun to make sense. I've started getting something together and I think I'm happy with it." Kagimaru smiled brightly, "if being a vigilante is what helped me get to this point then I don't see any reason why staying one wouldn't keep me there."

Tao felt her chest thump a bit at Kagimaru's smile but she quickly shook it off, "so Heart-Guy is just doing this because it makes him happy, nya?" Kagimaru nodded, "exactly." Tao was silent, watching as Kagimaru took another sip of his tea. As Kagimaru swallowed his drink Tao spoke, "Heart Guy is weird." Kagimaru took in Tao's pose, her arms crossed in her lap with an adorable expression on her shadowed face. He could only image what she looked like at that moment behind her raven black mask. He grinned, his chest thumping slightly, "that I am Tao, that I am."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Roar of Time~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

After that conversation Tao and Kagimaru decided to join forces, their combined efforts effectively doubling their catch rate and their strength as a whole. Between the two there was near instant communication, an ability to bounce one attack off another to create a harmonious combination that easily brought down their prey. Some months into the partnership Tao asked something odd of Kagimaru, something most partners ask at the very beginning of a partnership to check the skills of the other person.

"You want to spar Tao?" Kagimaru asked, idly walking along as he carried a drawstring pack over his back. "Yeah Heart Guy, Tao wants to fight another vigil...eh vigi-lanta to see how strong Tao has gotten, nya!" Kagimaru smirked, while most would be annoyed by Tao's over enthusiasm Kagimaru found it somewhat charming. There was something about the innocence of her heart that made him smile, "alright Tao, but first we have to find a safe place away from-"

"Yay! Heeeere I coooommmmmeeee!" Tao shouted with glee, springing toward Kagimaru with claws outstretched. Kagimaru quickly dodged the set of iron claws, grabbing hold of Taos arm and bringing her around full circle, using the young Kaka's speed against her and tossing her directly for the nearest available wall. Tao was certainly caught by surprise but on pure instinct she spun in the air, landing feet first on the wall and springing off with the speed of lightening.

Kagimaru took the few second intervals to prepare himself, tossing his satchel to the side and pulling his weapon from his belt, a large combat knuckle knife with an oddly shaped blade. The metal was angled sharply, resembling the jagged edge of a key as opposed to the smooth fang of a sword. As Tao drew back for another slash Kagimaru slid into a lower stance, preparing himself for the onslaught about to be wrought. However in a burst of speed Tao vanished, disappearing from the air itself and out of Kagimaru's view. Confusion struck Kagimaru for a moment before he heard a soft voice giggle, "got mew!"

He looked down just as a jagged device sprang from the back of Tao's paws, hitting him square in the chest and sending him flying. "Nyahah! Gotcha Heart Guy!" Tao laughed, her legs tensing as she prepared for another high speed pursuit. With a burst of leg strength Tao flew after Kagimaru, catching up to him in moments and preparing to slash him with her massive metal claws. Just as she swung her paw her claws were met with pure resistance, unbending strength stopping her strike from moving an inch. Kagimaru gave Tao a grin as his knife held off her strike, one arm gripping her sleeve tightly.

Tao could barely comprehend what happened next but she found herself in Kagimaru's grip, his arms holding tight to her sides and crushing her with a force she didn't know the human body could exert. She felt her spine crackle and the world spin erratically as the pair fell from the sky. Suddenly Kagimaru released Tao, letting her stunned form fall with dangerous speed and power toward the ground. Tao felt her instincts kick in, her body tucking into a roll and dissipating the impact as she hit the ground. A few spins and Tao was back on her feet, watching as Kagimaru landed with his combat knife still clutched with white knuckle determination.

Kagimaru suddenly smirked, "I think it's time to pull out the big guns, don't you Tao?" With those words Kagimaru drew a different knuckle knife from his sash, clutching it with his free hand in the opposite direction of the other knife. This knife was just as jagged at the other, but while the first knife was bright silver the second blade was an inky black. Tao smiled, bright teeth gleaming white from the shadow of her hood as her claws extended with a smooth swish, "Tao thinks Heart Guy is right." The two stared at one another, both seeming to focus miles away...waiting...silent...

In a flash the air between them was alight with sparks, Taos claws clashing with Kagimaru's knives. Tao leapt back to give her room for a wild leap but she quickly back flipped out of the way of a black knife aimed for her midsection. A quick guard, a shower of sparks, and Tao leapt away again while Kagimaru plucked his knife from the cold cement.

"Nya ha, nya ha, nya ha!" Kagimaru stared as Tao seemed to become two, her body's actions followed by a perfectly copied shadow. The first image was solid; her flesh and blood moving calmly, while behind her followed an after image, a clone of Tao through appearance and actions. Kagimaru tensed as Tao rushed him, her claws clashing with his knives before she leapt back for another attack. Just as Kagimaru prepared to put pressure on Tao her after image attacked, the shadow landing a powerful punch on Kagimaru's chin and sending him into the sky. Tao followed up the attack, punches and kicks sending Kagimaru into the sky until she landed a powerful ax kick on his stomach, her shadow following the action causing the pain to double.

Kagimaru fell toward the ground, his body bent in half from Tao's powerful strikes. It was purely by luck that Kagimaru's hand happened to brush a street lamp, his grip tightening and allowed him to break his fall in the form of a flipping roll. Just as Kagimaru landed on his feet Tao was once again in his face, her clawless paw slamming into his gut and attempting to send him skyward. However, this time Kagimaru caught the paw, holding fast to the cloth material as he spun away from the springing claws. With a graceful roll Kagimaru came up behind Taokaka, his right hand flinging his knife into a wall as it rushed for the back of Tao's skull.

With the turn of her head Tao's face was covered by Kagimaru's palm, his fingers seeming to glow a radiant emerald as he whispered, "Sensory Unlock: Overload." Without warning the world became much more vivid. The sky seemed to open up and the white light of the sun burnt Taokaka's eyes to cinders. She could feel every stray strand of fabric on her person, the breeze on her bare skin, even cold steel of her blades as the rested on the end of her tense fingers. Her nose could smell everything, good and bad, from miles away. Her tongue could taste the air, her ears could hear the sky, it was all too much. Tao gripped her head tightly, her mind pounding in indescribable pain. Tao felt her claws spring open on their own accord, her instincts telling her to slash and fight, to never stop moving despite the overwhelming sensations.

Tao sliced and she felt, heard, smelt steel clashing with steel. The hot oiled spark of blade on blade filled her nose as she spun below the impact, her foot hitting a wall of something that stood fast momentarily but just as easily gave way to her strength. That was the last thing Tao remembered before the world became too loud, too bright, too smelly...she passed out.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Roar of Time~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Hey Tao...Tao..."

"Nyah...those meat buns look so tasty...Tao wants some..."

"Hey Tao, I've got some food for you."

"Food!" in a flash Tao was on her feet, her sleep broken by the mention of sustenance. After a moments scan, Tao recognized the area as the back alley where she and Kagimaru had indulged in their duel. Tao briefly wondered why they were still in the same ally; the walls and ground were scarred in the aftermath of their combined attacks. However that thought was instantly put on hold, "so where's the food?" Kagimaru laughed, Tao turning her attention to the man who was holding two bags practically brimming with steams meat buns, one a massive satchel of food while another was a small sack. "Here you go Tao," Kagimaru said as he handed Tao the gigantic bag, "I thought you might be hungry after our little spar."

Tao completely ignored Kagimaru, her mouth and mind too focused on her meal to pay attention to anything else. Kagimaru on the other hand ate slowly, a smile on his lips as he watched Tao devour food with the speed and hunger of a demon. He knew getting her the extra large order was a good idea. By the time he had finished his small bag Tao had annihilated her food, greedily licking her lips and paws attempting to extract every last bit of flavor. "Taste good Tao?" Kagimaru asked, licking his own lips in reaction. Tao nodded, "yep, Heart Guy knows where to get a good meat bun nya!"

"Aw thanks Tao," Kagimaru chuckled, "so was our little spar what you were looking for?" Tao nodded, licking the last few bits of meat bun from her cheek, "Tao likes sparing with Heart Guy, Tao is just sad she lost nya..." "Actually," Kagimaru interrupted, "you got me with a pretty hard kick and knocked me out for a bit. I'd say the fight was a draw." "Nya?" Tao asked, her wide grin threatening to split her face in half, "really? So does that mean Tao is strong?" Kagimaru grinned, "Damn straight Tao is strong. Tao is the strongest girl I know."

Tao could feel heat pooling in her cheeks, her heart began to beat just a bit faster as she unconsciously giggled. A feeling of odd anxiety welled up in her chest which she tried to alleviate by lightly shadow boxing, "At this rate Tao is gonna be the best vigi-lanta ever! Thank mew for the help Heart Guy!" Kagimaru grinned, lightly patting the top of Tao's head, "my pleasure Tao. This spar was fun so if you ever want to spar again just ask alright?" Tao nodded, her anxious emotion welling up faster and faster as she felt Kagimaru's fingers dance along her skull. The slow spark in her chest became a quiet burn, her paws fidgeting with one another almost constantly.

Suddenly Tao jumped up to her feet, brightly smiling as she offered her paw to Kagimaru, "C'mon Heart Guy! Tao feels full of energy so let's go see if we can find any bad guys today, nya!" Kagimaru happily took the offered paw, his chest rapidly warming as he stood beside Tao, "alright Tao, let's go."

~~~~~~~~~END~~~~~~~~~~~~

Well what do you think? I know it's short but this seemed to be about the right time to end this chapter. In the next one we have an interesting diagnosis and complication, please stay tuned and I hope you enjoyed this chapter of "Tao and the Art of Love"! Remember to review!


	3. Mine

Hello and welcome to another chapter of "Tao and the Art of Love." I would like to announce that I have been graced by a few reviews in the past few days, all of which I appreciate deeply. Thank you to those who have reviewed my work and please, continue reading this little story I've come to call "Tao and the Art of Love!"

Disclaimer: I own nothing from Blazblue except a decent winning streak as Tao and Ragna

Chapter 3: Mine

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~REBEL 2: START!~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Hey booby lady?" The question was rather restrained and demure from the young Kaka known as Tao, her soft voice at ends with her normally boisterous and excited tone. Litchi turned to Tao, surprise seeping into her speech as she responded, "yes Tao?" Tao's paws fidgeted slightly as she stared at them, "Tao thinks something might be wrong with her..." Litchi was now concerned; the book she had been trying to read was forgotten as she listened intently to the subdued Tao, "What do you mean?" "Tao has been feeling really weird lately, nya," Tao confessed, her paws coming up to her chest, "Tao gets really warm right around here, sometimes it almost burns, nya."

Litchi's concern deepened as she tried to diagnose any disease that caused burning in the chest, "burn? Did you get hurt in a fight Tao?" Tao shook her head, "no, Heart Guy always keeps Tao safe when we fight bad guys." Litchi's concern for the moment subsided and was replaced quickly with curiosity, "Heart Guy? Has Kagimaru been helping you catch fugitives?" Tao nodded excitedly, energy returning to her like a tidal wave, "Nya, Heart Guy is a vigi-lanta just like Tao! Heart Guy and Tao have been all over the city catching bad guys and getting lots of meow-ney for the Kaka village!" Litchi's curiosity peaked as a small smile slid onto her lips, "oh really now? Does Kagimaru keep any of the money you two get?" Tao nodded her head after a bit of thought, "Heart Guy gives most to Tao but keeps a little bit, nya. Is that bad?"

Litchi's shoulders shook with a silent giggle, "Not at all Tao. What else have you and Kagimaru been up to lately?" "Well Heart Guy has gotten Tao lots of food and he takes Tao to these...are-kay-de things in the city! Tao really likes the game where Tao can dance to music; it's like a party in the Kaka village but all for Tao! Heart Guy has even come to the village a couple times to meet the Kaka, nya! He's really fun to be around and all the kittens like playing with Heart Guy too! Even the Elder likes Heart Guy because he brings good food and money to the village..." Suddenly Tao stopped her gushing rant, a paw coming up to her chest, right over her heart, as she spoke with worry in her tone, "Booby lady...it's happening again." Litchi stood up, placing her fingers on Tao's pulse, her expert knowledge telling her that Tao's heart was beating twice as fast as normal. Litchi barely restrained the knowing smile as she asked, "So what do the kittens do when they play with Kagimaru?"

"Well they mostly play hide and seek with Heart Guy, but it's so funny! One of the little ones hid on Heart Guy's back for a really long time and he pretended not to neyow-tice! Then they played tag and Heart Guy was so good at dodging the kittens they asked Tao to play, Tao got Heart Guy in one round, nya!" Litchi could feel Tao's pulse quicken, her heart speeding like a runaway train easily confirming Litchi's diagnosis. Litchi pulled her hand back and smiled at Tao, "well Tao, I know what is going on with you." Tao perked up, grinning ear to ear, "really booby lady?" Litchi nodded, "Yes, really. But there is some bad news Tao." Tao's ears slowly flattened, "bad...mews?" Litchi nodded, "right now you're sick Tao, and I don't have anything that can cure it. In fact I don't think anything in the world can." Tao whimpered, her tail shivering in fright as she asked, "What...what does Tao have?"

Litchi smiled brightly, "my diagnosis is that Tao is love sick."

Tao sat there for a moment, her eyes wide as her mouth hung open, "...wh...what?" Litchi softly laughed, "Tao has a crush on someone. Her heart beats faster, her body feels like its on fire, she can't stay away from them for too long, Tao is definitely love sick." Tao was still slightly dumbstruck, her eyes barely blinking as she asked, "who...who is Tao love sick with?" Litchi almost, almost considered not telling Tao for her less than flattering nick name. However, she opted for the next best thing; teasing Tao just as Tao had teased her, "Well how about we figure it out together hm? Can you imagine being in your favorite sun spot Tao, the one on the outskirts of the village?" Tao nodded, her eyes closing with a calm smile spreading across her cheeks at her relived memory. "Can Tao imagine that no one else is around, that it was Tao's own private spot for a while, with the nice warm sun coming in?" Litchi asked, watching Tao relax even deeper into her trance. "Now can Tao imagine that she isn't alone?"

Tao tensed for a moment, hanging on Litchi's every word as she spoke, "can Tao imagine that someone is holding onto Tao, that Tao is being held closely by someone?" Tao gave Litchi a slow nod, her eyes closed but her body tensed with a sense of unease. "Now can Tao visualize the person holding her," Litchi almost couldn't stop the girlish giggle in her voice, "can Tao imagine that it's Kagimaru holding Tao?" Instantly Tao relaxed, her whole body releasing all of its tension as her smile widened. A faint red tinge burst across Tao's cheeks as her ears bent forward, an adorable expression crossing the young Kaka's face. Slowly Tao's paws came up to the front of her jacket, the bare tips of her claws toying with the collar and the two long strands of her hair as she imagined the scene. Litchi was fairly certain she could even hear Tao's faint purring, a light rumble echoing from Tao's smiling mouth.

"Now does Tao know who she is love sick with?" Litchi asked her smile cheery and bright on her beautiful face. Tao reluctantly left her mental scene, one last fleeting image playing in the back of her mind as she softly replied, "yeah...Tao knows." Tao sighed, her ears twitching with delight as she smiled. She could almost feel his arms holding her tight, her body melting against his as the sun bathed them in its rays...she loved every second of it.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Spatial Rend / Roar of Time~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Heart Guy!" rained a shout from the sky, Kagimaru reacting just fast enough to dodge the clawed pounce Taokaka had launched. "Whoa!" Kagimaru said with a chuckle, watching as Tao sprung up from her crouch, "do you wanna catch me in one of your "beat'em up" pounces?" Tao stuck her tongue out at Kagimaru before grinning brightly, "so what is Heart Guy up to today?" Kagimaru held up a small clinking bag, "I was actually headed over to the Kaka village to drop off some money I got from a recent fugitive." "Nya?" Tao tilted her head slightly, "why is Heart Guy giving the money to the Kaka? Heart Guy earned all of it." Kagimaru chuckled, "the only use I have for it is to eat and sleep Tao, and I can get by on very little. I figure that if the Kaka need it more than I do, then why not give it to them?"

Tao's smile threatened to split her face in half as she semi-pounced on Kagimaru, "Thank mew Heart Guy!" Kagimaru knew his face was heating up with a blush, Tao's body pressed so freely against his causing his pulse to quicken and his mind to fog over. He could feel every soft and subtle curve of Tao's body as she unabashedly grabbed onto him, a happy murring sound springing from the over energetic Tao as she held him tighter. As he wrapped his arms around Tao to return the hug he received a wonderful sample of her scent, a bright mixture of wildflowers and water.

Tao was not much better off; mere seconds away from erupting in a thunderous purr she happily gripped Kagimaru. Her face was a soft crimson hue as her smile shone brightly from beneath the shadows of her hood. Tao's luminous ruby eyes were closed in joy as her ears twitched, her nose eagerly drinking up Kagimaru's musky metal and earth scent. Tao couldn't control herself as she buried her nose into Kagimaru's shoulder, slightly nuzzling him as she attempted to imprint his unique smell into her memory.

Slowly Kagimaru separated from Tao, his blushing face hidden to the best of his ability as he spoke, "what are you up to this far from the village Tao?" Tao's ears flattened slightly as her tail swished in annoyance, she was not used to this thing called patience but, as Booby Lady had said the other day, _"patience Tao, look for the right moment and he'll be all yours."_ Tao mentally nodded to herself, confidence building as she gave Kagimaru a bright smile and calmed her unintentional actions, "Tao was just looking for Heart Guy actually! The village Elder said there was something she wanted to talk to Heart Guy about, something reallllllly important, nya!" Kagimaru smiled but was inwardly confused, "what could the Elder want with me?" Tao shrugged, her big paw reaching for Kagimaru's hand, "Tao doesn't meow, but let's go Heart Guy!" Before he could register it Tao had grabbed hold of his hand, a firm yet gentle grip as she happily skipped down the street. Kagimaru held on for dear life, rushing behind Tao and praying he didn't trip along the way.

With Tao leading the way it was a short trip, Tao's number of shortcuts greedily devoured the journey and turned the path from a half hour walk to a ten minute skipping sprint. At the end of the run Kagimaru was panting, holding himself up by his knees as he wheezed, "wow...that...was...fast Tao..." Tao smiled brightly, bouncing slightly from foot to foot, "yep, Tao thought since it was super important Heart Guy would wanna be here fast, nya!" Kagimaru smiled at Tao, stand upright after he caught his breath, "alright Tao, let's go talk to the Elder." Tao nodded, reaching for Kagimaru's hand once again. However, this time instead of Tao grabbing Kagimaru's hand, Kagimaru gripped Tao's paw, grinning as he started walking for the village Elders home. Tao smiled brightly and let her be led at Kagimaru's slower pace; her rapidly beating heart was more than enough exercise for her hyperactive nature.

Once at the Elders home Kagimaru and Tao entered, releasing each other's hands as they were welcomed, "hello Elder." The Elder looked to the two, slowly hobbling over as she spoke in a kind voice, "Ah, Kagimaru, it is good to see you again." "And as always it is good to see you too," Kagimaru said with a courteous bow, "I brought something for your village, a token of friendship that I received from my latest bounty." Kagimaru gently handed the parcel of money to the elder, having the older cat woman take the sack with a pleased voice, "oh thank you so much Kagimaru. Dr. Litchi and you have been wonderful friends of the village, even if you have only started visiting us not to long ago." Kagimaru scratched his head in an embarrassed manner, "Thank you for the honor Elder. I was just telling Tao that I have no use for anything but food and shelter so I see no reason to do anything but give most of my bounty money to the village."

"Oh you must let us thank you Kagimaru," the Elder began but Kagimaru held up his hands, "Oh no I couldn't, thank you but I-" Without warning Kagimaru felt a sharp jab in his side, Taokaka nudging him not so secretly as she whispered, "what are you doing Heart Guy? Accept it; it's a huge honor, nya!" Gently rubbing his side Kagimaru rolled his eyes at Tao before turning back to the Elder and bowing, "On advice from a very dear friend I think I will accept." The Elder laughed brightly, "Oh ho ho that is indeed wonderful! Fukaka, will you come in here please?"

At that exact moment Tao and Kagimaru turned to another, Kagimaru with confusion while Tao's tail flickered wildly, "Fukaka?"

Entering the room through a beaded doorway came another Kaka, dressed in the same cream colored jacket that Tao wore. However unlike Tao this Kaka's hair was springing from its hood, blondish spikes cascading from the front while a pair of long pigtails sprouted from holes in the sides of the hood. Tied with pink ribbon the hair danced with each movement as a pair of luminescent green eyes shone from the shadows of the hood. "Hello Kagimaru," a slow sultry voice spoke, "I've been waiting to meet you for a while."

Kagimaru was slightly stunned, "um, I'm sorry you are?" The Kaka approached with a slow walk, smiling within the depths of her hood, "Fukaka, daughter of the clan Elder." Without warning a cream blur appeared before Kagimaru, Tao stood before him with her tail puffed out and a low hiss slipping from her throat, "Fukaka...Tao doesn't like Fu." Simultaneously both girls released their claws, Tao's elegant straight blades contrasting Fu's hooked barbs. Where Tao's claws were for slashing and dicing, Fu's were meant to hook into prey and eviscerate mercilessly. Kagimaru felt the tension in the air spike as the two Kaka stared each other down, any moment now there would be some sort of horrible battle...

"Both of you calm down."

The quiet and simple voice of the Elder caused both Kakas to calm down, their claws retreating sharply as their heads bowed to the Elder, "we/Tao are/is sorry mother/Elder." The Elder nodded to the two and approached Kagimaru, her voice never breaking that permanent calm she seemed to have, "Kagimaru, as repayment for helping the Kaka village I would like to give my daughters paw in marriage to you." The silence was nearly palatable, Tao's mouth was open in disbelief while Kagimaru quickly held up his hands in protest, "oh no, no, no, I'm sorry Elder but I couldn't possibly..."

"Hey Kagimaru," Kagimaru turned to his side, confused about the sudden voice and its owner. What he was met with was a beautiful face, pale and smooth with fantastically shimmering emerald eyes. The face tapered elegantly, a playful smile dressing the soft pink lips as they formed the words, "gotcha." It was at that moment the realty came rushing in, Kagimaru was staring into the face of Fu, and by the laws of her clan...they were to be married.

"My, my I haven't seen that in quite some time Fu," the Elder said with a smile, "what a lovely young Kaka you've become. So Kagimaru, are you familiar with the laws of our clan?" Kagimaru was without words, seeming to choke on the very air as he knew what trap he had fallen into. Fu had just successfully cajoled him into marriage without his consent and he didn't want to find out what would happen should he refuse it. Kagimaru nodded solemnly, looking down at the ground as he acknowledged his capture. "Good," the Elder said with an innocent happiness, "we shall begin the wedding plans immediately if that is alright with you?" Kagimaru looked up to see Fu's happy and utterly smug smile, something he was certain he would see daily from this point. Glancing over at Tao he couldn't manage to hold it together for long, all he could see was her form slumped forward in defeat. Kagimaru, resigned to his fate, took a deep breath and let his voice coming out with his sigh, "alri-"

"NO!"

Everyone turned as a massive wave of energy exploded from behind them, Tao's body seemed to radiate pressure as she glared at Fu, "NO, NO, NO, NO! Tao won't let thisssss go!" The Elder took a step toward Tao, her cane eliciting a thunder bolt crack against the floor instantly dissipating the rush of power, "I am sorry Tao but Fu's face is the first and only Kaka Kagimaru has seen." Tao's paw came up swiftly, roughly grabbing at her hood and nearly tearing it off as she bared her face to everyone present. "There! Heart Guy has seen Tao's face too!" Tao shouted, her eyes catching Kagimaru's quickly. For a moment time seemed to crawl along and Kagimaru realized that Tao's features truly were exquisite. The softness to her cheeks, the lovely curve of her jaw line and her fragile chin were all so wonderfully delicate. Her olive tanned skin complimented her lovely scarlet eyes, her energy and intensity projecting through a simple stare. Her white tipped ears were flat against her head but they held a charm to them he found irresistible. Her lips had the color and softness of two rose petals, at the moment cleaved in her anger to show the purest ivory of her fanged snarl.

"You can't do that Tao," Fu said with a grin, her sleeved arm wrapping around Kagimaru's, "I have already shown him my face so you're too little too late." Tao twitched in anger, glaring at Fu with rage in her gaze, "That isn't true! Tao showed Heart Guy her face LONG before Fu ever did!" Both Fu and the Elder seemed surprised, curiosity touched the tone of the Elder as she asked, "How long ago was this Tao?" Tao turned to the Elder and gave her best attempt at being polite in her hyper agitated state, "When Tao met Heart Guy, Tao accidentally showed Tao's face to Heart Guy." The Elder turned to Kagimaru, "Is this true Kagimaru?" Kagimaru gave a slight nod, "Yes Elder, Tao accidentally showed her face to myself and Dr. Litchi."

"Ah ha!" Fu said with a triumphant laugh, "It doesn't matter then. If Tao showed her face to two people at the same time it doesn't count does it mother?" Tao's eyes shot open to the size of saucers as she looked to the sighing Elder, "That is true, if two people witness the face of a Kaka for a first time and they are not related to the Kaka in any sense, none involved have to be wed." Fu gave Tao a victorious smirk, "Sorry Tao, you lose." Tao growled and hissed, her body tensing wildly as her eyes sparked to malicious life, "Tao won't lose." Tao stomped over to Fu and got right in her face, "It doesn't count for Fu either so I challenge Fu for Heart Guy!"

Fukaka scoffed at Tao, "Challenge me? On what grounds Tao, you have nothing to challenge with." It was Tao's turn to grin, pointing her claws up to the ceiling, "Fu and Heart Guy are still inside Fu's home, Fu is free to show her face to anyone without having to marry." Fu suddenly choked on her words, flinching away from Tao as the enraged Kaka growled out, "Again, Tao challenges Fu for Heart Guy in front of the village Elder! Does Fu accept?" Fu turned to the Elder, the elderly voice calling out, "This is true Fu, Tao is well within her rights in the clan. Do you accept Tao's challenge?" Fu turned back to Tao, her teeth clenching in a heated growl, "I accept!"

Kagimaru looked between the two women, their energy clashing like invisible steel...he knew today was going to be long...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~END~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

So what do you think? Please leave a review and I hope you enjoyed this installment of "Tao and the Art of Love."


	4. Close

Hello and welcome to another chapter of "Tao and The Art of Love." I realize that it has been a while and I have been getting some pretty good reviews for this story so I do feel quite bad for posting this so late. However I do have a reason…

…re…son…azure…the…shift...azure…azure…Azure…AZUREAZUREAZUREAZUREAZURE! KEHIHIHIHIHIHI!

Sorry about that, my inner Arakune is going nuts about Continuum Shift to be released in a few days so I've been dropping the ball left and right here. This being said I have to admit my mind will be focused on the game for a while too so you might not see me for a bit because of it. Despite this I will try my best to update in a timely fashion and I think you for reading my story. I hope you enjoy this next chapter!

(Disclaimer) I own nothing

Chapter 4: Close

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~REBEL 4: START!~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Elder..."

"Yes Kagimaru?"

"What just happened?"

Standing on the edge of a massive circle Kagimaru stood side by side with the village Elder, her staff gripped in an elderly paw, their eyes trained to a pair of Kaka kittens sweeping the musty ring. Almost immediately after Tao had thrown down her challenge Tao and Fu were ordered to separate from one another, to flee to opposite sides of the village and prepare themselves for the battle ahead. After they had left Kagimaru had nowhere to go but to join the Elder in preparations, his mind swimming with several questions he wanted answered.

The Elder chuckled at Kagimaru's query, "When one Kaka makes a claim to a husband and the conditions of that claim are suspicious or flimsy, then another Kaka can challenge the first for the husband in question." Kagimaru blinked, "So that means..." Kagimaru could almost feel the smile on the Elders face as she spoke, "That means young Tao has just challenged her senior for the rights to you Kagimaru." Kagimaru felt his face turning a bright red, there was no stopping the wash of crimson that hit his cheeks as he responded with a single intelligent phrase, "Oh...really? Um...so you say senior. That means Tao and Fu learned how to fight together, right?"

The Elder's laughter seemed to deepen Kagimaru's blush, his transparent questioning amusing the knowing Elder greatly, "Yes Kagimaru. Fu and Tao learnt the art of being a Kaka warrior under the same Master. Fu was Tao's senior student by about a year." "Wow," Kagimaru exclaimed, his embarrassment slightly eased by his mounting curiosity, "were they the only students?" The Elder nodded, "Yes, Fu and Tao were the only students of their generation to learn from Master Jubei." Kagimaru started to nod in understanding but he was frozen as his jaw dropped in comprehension, "from...Jubei?" The Elder chuckled, "Oh yes, Master Jubei comes by from time to time to look over the village and to check on how we are all doing. Every so often he finds a student from our school to take under his paw for the arts of fighting. Fu and Tao were just lucky enough to be the two students he last taught." Kagimaru was speechless; if that was true then Tao had learned her style of fighting from the most powerful being alive on the planet. The fact alone gave him a deeper understanding of how she was so mind-bendingly strong for such a hyperactive and flighty Kaka.

"It was odd for Master Jubei to take two students though," the Elder continued, "normally he only takes the son or daughter of the village Elder and teaches him or her so they can protect the village just as he does. However after a year of training Fu, he decided to teach Tao as well." The Elder chuckled low as one kitten tripped on the edge of the circle, falling face first into its own pile of gathered dust, "Jubei said that he saw something in Tao, something incredibly powerful, and that he wanted to bring it out." "Wow..." Kagimaru trailed off, his gaze turning from the Elder to the ring and the kittens who just finished their cleaning task.

"What about you Kagimaru," The Elder spoke with curiosity, "Tao has told us of your exploits before, what master did you train under?" Kagimaru shook off the amazement for a moment as he responded, "I don't know I'm afraid." "You don't know?" The Elder asked, puzzled at the young man. Kagimaru nodded, "I know it sounds odd but I can never remember where I learned to fight or how, all I know is that I can." The Elder turned to Kagimaru, "You don't even know what style you use?" Kagimaru shook his head, one hand scratching the back of his neck in unease, "To be honest Elder, I don't know a lot about myself to begin with. I don't have total amnesia but I'm still not sure about certain things. Some days I can remember an event that happened years ago but the next day it is gone."

"Oh," the Elder said with concern, "Do you even remember your clan name?" Kagimaru chuckled, "My family name? No, I remember the faces of my mother and father but nothing about names. Everything just comes out as a blur and headache if I try." The Elder's chuckling worried Kagimaru but it was the next words that snapped him from his nostalgia into the present, "Well then, we should get used to calling you Kagi-kaka very soon shouldn't we?" Kagimaru gave an uncomfortable laugh, "Uh...yeah, I guess so."

Coughing a bit to relieve the situation Kagimaru went for a new subject and quickly, "So did Tao ever reach the power Jubei said she had?" The Elder sighed, "Oh young Tao has done remarkably well except...well she has trouble controlling herself." Kagimaru smirked at the comment but let the Elder continue, "In terms of power Jubei said she is mere steps from unlocking her true potential but her inability to concentrate is still keeping her abilities subdued." Kagimaru nodded, "So Tao is close but because she can't focus she's not quite there?" The Elder made a nod of approval, "Yes, Fu on the other hand has grown up to and past her potential, she impressed even Master Jubei with her strength." Kagimaru felt a pang of panic hit him, he knew Tao was a very strong girl but to have direct praise from Jubei worried him.

He was just about to ask more questions but a sudden voice cut him off, a young Kaka kitten running up to the Elder with a brilliant smile beaming from their hood, "Elder, the ring and everything is ready. Should I go get Fu and Tao?" The Elder was silent for a moment, humming over the thoughts in her head as she spoke, "Yes my child, you go fetch Fu while Kagimaru gathers Tao." The Kaka kitten nodded and rushed off for one side of the village while Kagimaru turned to the elder, surprise in his gaze, "Elder?" The Elder laughed quietly and gave him a nudge with her ornate cane, "Go retrieve Tao, I'm certain she's ready to fight." Kagimaru was speechless for a moment until a smile came across his lips; he gave her a small bow and rushed for the other side of the village.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~_Spatial Rend_ / **Roar of Time** ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Tao...Tao..."

"..."

"Tao? Where are yo- OOF!"

Kagimaru's breath was forced out of him, his body hitting the ground from a powerful pounce. Without needing to ask Kagimaru knew who it was, the familiar arms wrapped around his abdomen were more than enough proof but he couldn't help his next question, "Tao? Is that you?" He felt Tao's head nod into his back, her surprisingly quiet voice barely speaking, "Yeah Heart Guy...it's Tao." The pair was silent for a while, Tao's arms wrapped around Kagimaru as he rested his head on his folded arms. No attempt was made to escape or to remind Tao of her upcoming fight, there was just a simple silent presence; company for no other reason than to have it.

"Tao," Kagimaru asked quietly, curiosity breaking the silence, "Why did you challenge Fu?" Tao's arms tightened slightly around his torso, Tao's head pressing into his back with slightly greater force. It took time for Tao to respond, so long in fact that Kagimaru didn't know if she had heard the question. As he took a breath to restate his question he felt Tao do the same, quickly quieting himself as she responded. "Tao...doesn't want Heart Guy to be married to Fu," Tao whispered, "Fu is mean to Tao, she laughs at Tao because Tao isn't that smart and she even teases Tao with food when Tao has nya-thing. Fu is really mean and Tao doesn't want to see Heart Guy with...her."

Tao's arms held Kagimaru tighter as she continued, "Fu would probably tease Tao forever with it and try to keep Heart Guy away from Tao. Tao doesn't want to be apart from Heart Guy...Tao would do anything to keep Heart Guy around..." Kagimaru chuckled softly, his head turning the best it could to face Tao, "You know something Tao?" He could feel the swishing of Tao's ears in her hood, "What Heart Guy?" "Heart Guy would do anything to keep Tao around too," Kagimaru said with a smile, wishing he could see Tao's face beyond the cream colored hood. Kagimaru felt a soft rumbling across his back, Tao's voice laced with her obvious purr as she spoke, "Rrrrreally Heart Guy?"

"Really Tao I-"

Kagimaru didn't even get a chance to finish his statement as he was quickly tossed into the air with ease, as if a gigantic being had scooped him from the ground and casually tossed him into the air. For a few moments his body went flying in an uncontrolled spin but seconds into the terrible twist Kagimaru came to land some ways away. With a few tumbles on the dusty ground Kagimaru quickly leapt to his feet, automatically getting his bearings and drawing his signature jagged blade before taking action. To his surprise he found Tao crouched on the ground, her voice haggard and hissing as she growled to a newcomer, a thin and agile body daintily pulling a massive claw from the earth. "Aw Tao," a wonderfully lyrical voice spoke, "you moved." Fu stood with her glinting hooked claws in a guarded position before her face. All around Fu was a rippling wave of destruction, the small hill that once was a haven of light was now nothing more than a rocky crater, Fu's attack completely demolishing the area without discrimination.

Before anyone could say a thing Tao vanished with the speed of a bullet, rushing at Fu with her silvery claws bared. Fu smirked at Tao from beneath her hood, easily sidestepping the charging feline and hooking Tao's slicing blades with the hooks of her own curved claws. With less than five graceful movements Tao was slammed to the earth, her stomach caved in by a vicious kick before two massive paws scooped her from the earth and sent her flying. Without a moments rest Tao rolled to a crouching position, her claws never once receding into their sheaths as she took another shot at a berserker rush. Fu gave a short laugh, a harsh mocking cackle as she leaned back into a half crouch.

Without so much as a flash of light Kagimaru watched as Tao tumbled to the earth, Fu landing some distance behind the grounded Kaka, swiping her claws to the side to rid them of the fabric and crimson liquid staining the immaculate metal. Catching sight of the scarlet blood Kagimaru grit his teeth, turning once again to Tao as she struggled to stand, one of her paws clutching her side which was missing a noticeable amount of fabric. "Fu!" Kagimaru screamed out, anger tainting his tone with an evident snarl, "Stop this right now!" Without warning Fu vanished, reappearing in front of Kagimaru with her hood down, her shimmering emerald eyes peering into Kagimaru's sapphire with a smug satisfaction, "Not until I prove who is stronger...husband." Slowly Fu slowly began to close the distance, her sultry eyes holding Kagimaru in a state of hypnosis as their lips came ever closer.

A massive paw suddenly gripped Fu's shoulder, roughly tearing her away from Kagimaru and harshly pulling her into a twisting slam maneuver. The ground shook from the force of the blow, Fu bouncing due to the sheer strength of the attack. Without warning two massive paws collided with Fu's side, sending her flying into the distance. Standing before Kagimaru was Tao, her paws pressed together at the wrists as she held the position for her infamous 'Taokaka Special' attack. Without her paw holding her side Kagimaru could easily see her single wound, three slashes laid across the skin of her stomach with a large hole ripped from her jacket.

Tao's legs tensed, a single paw clutching her side before her other prepared to attack the falling Fu. "Tao wait!" Kagimaru shouted, his hand firmly gripping Tao's shoulder to stop her charge. Tao quickly shrugged the hand off, a pang of hurt hitting Kagimaru in the chest as Tao's legs tensed even further. For a moment Tao seemed as though she wouldn't attack, simply watching Fu fall to the earth until she struck. "Tao wants Heart Guy all to herself," Tao nearly growled, her ruby eyes glinting like a raging fire, "and Tao will make sure that happens." With the pressure of a cannons blast Tao launched herself at Fu, rocketing through the air at speeds that exceeded her very best pounce. Kagimaru watched in amazement as Tao seemed to leave a steak of light behind her launch, a grin breaking out across his face as he watched her incredible speed. Kagimaru quickly turned and dashed off, vanishing from the battlefield without a single glance back.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~_Spatial Rend_~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Before Tao could reach Fu, the older Kaka flipped from her fall, gracefully landing on her feet and easily parrying Tao's strike in a white hot spark of metal on metal. With the flick of her wrist Fu sent Tao into an uncontrolled spin, pressing her advantage and easily slamming the heel of her boot into Tao's already wounded stomach. However unlike last time Fu planted her foot, pinning Tao to the ground and eliciting a pain grunt from the younger Kaka. "Oh Tao," Fu said with a disappointed sigh, "I thought you could do better than this."

Fu jumped off from Tao's stomach, her boot caving Tao's stomach for a brief second before rearing back and sending Tao soaring with a vicious kick. Tao tried to scream in pain, her body being wracked with the cruel sensation; however she never got a chance as Fu appeared right beside her on her wild flight. "I don't understand," Fu growled, her paw grabbing the back of Tao's head as she continued to run, "Master Jubei said you could grow to be ten times stronger than me." With a merciless push Fu pressed Tao's face to the ground, dragging her along the jagged dirt for a few yards before stopping to a screeching halt. "I don't think Master Jubei was wrong," Fu said with a cruel smirk, one of her claws hooking the edge of Tao's hood, "but you're not inspiring much confidence Tao." With a quick jerk Fu tore Tao's hood from her head, the material becoming nothing but shreds.

Fu stood up with a sadistic grin, kicking Tao in her side to roll her over onto her back. As Tao rolled over her battered face was easy to see, several scraped and cuts adorning her features while mud and dirt gathered in every crevice on her skin and clothes. "Pitiful," Fu said with a shrug, "I suppose you lose Tao. Nice try but I think I'll be taking Kagimaru now, I'm sure he and I will be very happy together…" Fu's smirk turned even more fierce, the muscles in one of her legs tensing as her voice grew harsh, "far away from you!" Fu raised her foot, an ax kick destined for Tao's chest falling with the force of a two ton sledge hammer.

Just before Fu's heel could smash into Tao's sternum it was suddenly stopped, her almost unstoppable attack being frozen with barely an inch of wiggle room in any direction. Peering down Fu saw that Tao had raised a paw, a single paw, and pressed it against Fu's heel to cease the painful onslaught. Fu looked from Tao's guarding paw to Tao's eyes, both open and glowing with a dangerous crimson shine. The unearthly glow seemed to burn several times brighter than usual, her pupils even seeming to be alight with a black essence. "Tao won't let you," Tao growled, her paw flexing and taking hold of Fu's foot in a bone shattering grip, "Tao will not let you take him away!"

In a blur of movement Tao was on her feet, still holding Fu's leg with no intention of ever letting it go. With a barbaric scream Tao pulled Fu from the ground and into the air, painfully slamming Fu to the ground with reckless abandon. A quick turn and Fu was once again in the air, coming in contact with the solid ground on a similar ferocious level. This continued several times, each time Tao howling as she slammed Fu to the ground in animalistic and brutal rage. With one final slam Tao turned and wildly tossed Fu into the sky, following Fu's arcing decent on quick feet.

Fu felt as every part of her body hurt, from her toes to the tips of her ears she ached from Tao's wicked slams. Despite this Fu didn't stop for a second, instead suppressing the pain and turning to face the chasing Tao below."You're too slow Tao!" Fu howled, her body twisting midair as her claws sprung from their slots. However, instead of simply stopping at full extension the claws seemed to launch from Fu's sleeves, the blunted ends attached to their anchors by thick metal chains. The chains reached a length of four feet before stopping, their increased length and dexterity allowing Fu to begin a mad mid-air spin of tornado strength. In a miraculous change of direction midair Fu plummeted toward the ground and Tao, the wounded Kaka slowing to a stop and simply glaring up at Fu with her glowing crimson eyes.

"I win Tao!" Fu screamed, her body seeming to radiate with a pulsing emerald energy, "LOTUS STORM!" Faster and faster did Fu spin, her blades picking up unimaginable amounts of speed as she rocketed toward the ground. As her speed reached its very maximum the spinning blades seemed to combine, the slivery flash of metal and chains forming the mirage of a shimmering lotus flower. Tao stared up at the impending attack, the shimmering flower of death heading her way with a cruel cackle. Despite this, Tao slowly began to crouch down, her lungs filling with air and her muscles tensing with agonizingly lax speed. Her legs continued to tense as power flowed through her body, seither being drained from the air at an alarming rate through her natural instinctual process. Just as Tao felt her body fill to the brink with the invisible energy she could feel it, she could feel every time Fu would have to twist, every time her attack would stop for just the slightest fraction of a second to begin another hideous rotation. Tao's crimson eyes stared up at Fu, the dull black glow rising from the depths of her narrow slit pupil...

In a burst of insane speed Tao vanished, her body launching through the air toward the iron hurricane that was Fu. Just as Tao met Fu's lotus attack Fu had to turn, her self induced spin running low on momentum causing her to weaken the technique for just the slightest of moments. In that exact moment Tao burst through Fu's almost impeccable guard, her lithe and flexible body slipping between Fu's vicious chains and meeting the surprised Kaka behind the almost impenetrable strike. Pulling back her free arm Tao's claws sunk into her sleeve, the metal making a hollow thunk in her arm before her blunted paw rocketed forward and caught Fu in the side with a thunderous strike.

With a single powerhouse punch Fu was knocked out of her spin, her body reeling from the surprise strike as she fell from the sky. Without giving Fu a second to breath Tao appeared behind her, clawless paw cocked for the slightest second before giving Fu another powerful strike. This pinball technique continued for several moments, Fu being bashed around by what seemed to be invisible hands before finally being kicked straight up into the air. Far below Tao rested on a single knee, her eyes still gleaming a bloody red while her entire body seemed to take on a menacing ruby hue. "You've already lost," Tao growled, her body shooting up into the sky to meet the falling Fu in her rag doll decent.

Fu could only watch in utter helplessness and pain as Tao wrapped her arms around Fu, her grip tightening to levels Fu thought impossible for any creature. Fu felt bones begin to bend and crack before Tao began a spin, the world transforming into a blur of swirling colors and mixing hues. For the few seconds that this torture lasted Fu was on the verge of vomiting, her stomach convulsing from the dizziness and pain. However without warning Tao released Fu, allowing the confused Kaka to take a breath of relief. The relief was quickly short lived as the ground caught up with Fu and her body impacted with the force of falling truck. Fu coughed, blood and spit spraying from her mouth as the dirt gave way beneath her body, the force implanting Fu several inches into the very soil.

Without warning Fu found six blades crossed over her throat, Tao's slicing claws pressing against Fu's bare neck with vicious intent, "Tao wins." Fu's green eyes glistened with unshed tears, fear radiating from her gaze as she pulled her head back, exposing even more of her neck to the victor. Tao glared down at Fu with murderous eyes, her crimson irises retaining their eerie glow while her sharpened pupil continued to radiate its own shadowed luminescence. "Tao!" Tao's ears swiveled in the direction of the voice, her eyes just barely peering out from their corners as she looked.

Standing on a hill not too far away was Kagimaru, the Elder, and the rest of the Kaka clan, all of them watching as Tao pinned Fu with her claws. Kagimaru's face was split by a bright smile, his hand waving out to the victorious Kaka warrior with a joy and energy he had reserved for only their greatest victories. It was at that point Tao realized where Kagimaru had gone, by getting all of the Kaka clan to witness the battle Kagimaru had made this fight official and thus Tao was the winner once and for all.

Tao turned her eyes back to Fu, worry still present in her emerald eyes as Tao's blades remained at her throat. With one fluid motion Tao rose up from her crouching position over Fu, her claws retracting into her sleeves as she spoke, "Fu lost in front of all the Kaka. Fu stays away from Heart Guy, now and forever." Fu nodded quickly as Tao slowly walked toward the gathered Kaka clan, the Elder approaching Tao with a welcoming disposition, "Tao, congratulations on your vic-" Tao gracefully skirted past the Elder, her path never straying from the direction of Kagimaru.

"Um Tao," Kagimaru said with confusion and worry in his tone, the hoodless Tao appearing to be on a war path in his direction, "I think the Elde-" Once again someone's speech was cut off, this time it was Kagimaru's as Tao forcefully grabbed hold of him, her arms locking him in a tight embrace as she crashed her lips upon his. Kagimaru's eyes opened wide as Tao's lips pressed against his own, arms wrapping around him in possessive passion. Just as quickly as it had begun Tao broke the kiss, whipping away from the stunned Kagimaru and towards the entirety of the Kaka clan, "This is Tao's! Does any Kaka have a problem with that?"

The Kaka collectively seemed to shrink back, recoiling from Tao and her angry power. Several acknowledgements were heard, some in the form of submissive meows while a few were shakily worded agreements. Suddenly, as if a hazy cloud had lifted, Tao released a bright grin. The aura of danger and strength that surrounded her vanishing like a shadow in the morning sun as Tao spoke in her usual cheery tone, "good!" Without warning Tao slumped forward, her body falling completely limp as her eyes closed in a dead sleep. The last words she heard was Kagimaru calling out her name, concern rooted in his tone as the darkness swiftly came...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~_Spatial Rend_~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Well my daughter," the village Elder spoke with a smile, "how was your little scuffle with Tao." With a slow grunting effort Fu gradually rose from her indentation, her head rolling on her neck as she winced in pain, "It was much more difficult than I had imagined." The Elder offered a soft chuckle, "Does that mean our Tao has grown into her power?" Fu groaned in pain, "She is getting there mother...I just wish you hadn't decided to start your little test with me." The Elder gently touched her staff to Fu's head, the glowing point connecting with the injured Kaka's bare forehead, "You know how Tao is, stubborn and always holding a grudge. Besides I think with this out of the way the two of you can become friends." Fu smiled, feeling the heat of her mother's healing talents resonating through her body, "Perhaps...but she is still far from what Master Jubei envisioned for her." The Elder laughed softly, the glow growing in strength as it absorbed the smaller of Fu's injuries, "This was only one of many Fu, only one of many."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~END~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Well there you have it, I hope you enjoyed this chapter and stay tuned for next time when we find out the aftermath of this calamity! Later!


	5. Fear and Scars

Well hello there good people of Kagatsuchi! How have you been? Me, I've been having a blast playing Continuum Shift, all except Arcade mode…I swear it must be me because unlimited Hazama is just a bucket of anger and fail. But other than that I've finish all of story mode, unlocked all of the characters, gotten most of the DLC content, and have become a pretty good Makoto player. All in all it has been very productive in terms of inspiration so I think it's time I pass the good karma onto you! I hope you enjoy this chapter in my story, and since I have a bit more information on Tao's past as well as the newly introduced Torakaka you will be seeing some of that later. As for now, I hope you enjoy this fresh new chapter of Tao and the Art of Love!

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing except a once decent record which has been shattered over my back by unlimited Hazama…

_Chapter 5: Fear and Scars_

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~**_REBEL 5: START_**~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"So what exactly does this mean?"

"Hm?"

"Elder...are Tao and I really...?"

A soft chuckle echoed through the room, the Elders gentle laughter echoing as the pale blue glow spread in ripples from Tao's forehead. The young Kaka had yet to regain consciousness, her bruised and battered body multitudes worse in comparison to Fu's less injured form. The Elder's power emitted a vibrant blue hue, a bright glow of sapphire spreading across the walls of the home and the small bed Tao rested fitfully upon. As the Elder's skills worked their magic Kagimaru sat beside Tao, a single hand on her sleeved paw as he watched the bruises vanish and cuts miraculously seal on their own. "Are you really what?" The Elder questioned, her wooden staff suddenly swinging to the side and releasing the luminescent glow in a shower of soft blue sparks. As the last bit of the Elders sparks faded Kagimaru responded in a tentative whisper, "Are Tao and I really...engaged?"

The Elder spoke as though behind her mask resided a great smile, "of course Kagimaru, Tao fought hard for you and she won before the entire clan without contest. It would be foolish to think otherwise...why do you ask?" As the Elder faced him Kagimaru blushed, turning away from her gaze just slightly, "I...I was just wondering..." "Oh worry nothing of it Kagimaru," the Elder spoke as she rose from Tao's bedside, "even if one of the clan desired her or yourself it wouldn't matter, Tao has already spoken her claim of you and that is more than sufficient to make the betrothal real." Kagimau's blush intensified, his hand coming to the back of his head to scratch a nonexistent itch, "Oh right...that...I don't think that's what I'm worried about." "Oh?" The Elder asked in amused curiosity, "what else could be worrying you?"

Kagimaru turned to speak but a sudden groan interrupted him, his vision shooting directly for the hoodless face of Tao. Slowly, Tao's mouth opened in a great yawn showing off a row of pearly white fangs, her little pink tongue sticking out as her arms stretched out far above her head. As her wakening stretch came to an end her eyelids began to flutter, her bright crimson eyes gradually sliding into view as she took in the world with freshly woken lethargy. "Mmmmmeow, good morning," she yawned as her teary eyes finally took in the first person in her direct line of sight, Kagimaru. In a flash her face burst into a blush, her mouth open in a dumbstruck expression before her teeth clenched in a wild grin, "Heart Guy!"

With a speed Kagimaru wasn't prepared for Tao leapt from the bed, her sleeved arms wrapping around Kagimaru in a tight hug as she, quite literally, tackled him right out of his seat. Both hit the floor with a thud, Kagimaru landing with a surprised exhale of air as Tao began to purr, her face nuzzling into Kagimaru's chest almost immediately, "oh it's so good to see you Heart Guy! Tao was worried, nya!" Kagimaru couldn't stop his smile, his arms wrapping around Tao gently as he spoke, "and I was worried about you too Tao, you've been out for quite a while." "Nyaaa," Tao meowed, turning her eyes up in confusion to Kagimaru, "How long has Tao been sleeping?" Kagimaru smiled down at Tao, "About six hours." Tao smiled brightly, "So about as long as one of Tao's naps!" Kagimaru chuckled, "that's true, so how do you feel?" Tao smiled brightly, her eyes closing in her joy as she nuzzled back into Kagimaru, "Tao is doing very good if Heart Guy is here! This means Tao won, Tao was worried about that, nya!"

Suddenly a feeling of dread hit deep within Kagimaru as he shakily responded, "What do you mean?" Tao looked back up to Kagimaru, her innocent features staring at him with a vaguely confused look, "Tao doesn't remember much after Heart Guy left Tao and Fu...but if Heart Guy is here then that means Tao won and Heart Guy doesn't have to marry Fu, nya!" Kagimaru felt a small part of him shatter, a small bit of his soul crumble to dust as those words passed Tao's lips. Despite that a slightly cracked smile came across Kagimaru's lips as he reached up with a hand, gently scratching behind Tao's ear on instinct, "That's right Tao, and you were pretty amazing." Tao was suddenly erupting with purrs, her head leaning into Kagimaru's hand as her chest rumbled in joy, "rrrrrrrrrrrrreally?" Kagimaru's smile turned just a shade brighter as Tao's vibrations echoed in his own voice, "Yeah."

Suddenly the Elder's quiet chuckle broke the moment, both turning up to the Elder with reddened faces, "As interesting as this is, I have a small request for you Kagimaru." As Tao extracted herself from Kagimaru, he spoke with embarrassment in his tone, "anything Elder, what would it be?" The Elder nodded, "I would like it if you could escort Tao up to the surface to receive treatment from Ms. Litchi, as skilled as I am I can only do so much."

"Huh? But Elder I-" Tao began but as she rose to her feet her paws immediately went to her stomach, a spell of dizziness hitting her like a bullet train as she fell to the bed by her side, "on second thought...nya, good idea." Kagimaru felt a flash of panic and it easily made its way into his tone, "Tao are you okay?" Tao nodded as she slowly sat up on the bed, her paw holding her head so as to steady the world around her, "Tao is okay Heart Guy, she probably shouldn't have done so much right after a nap." Kagimaru chuckled with relief, "Probably, next time relax a bit alright Tao?" Tao nodded with a bright smile as the Elder spoke up, "Kagimaru, could you possibly grab another of Tao's jackets? The one she is wearing is less than decent." Kagimaru nodded, "of course, where is her home?"

After giving Kagimaru directions the Elder and Tao were alone, silence penetrating the room for quite some time before the Elder let out a quiet sigh, "is there a reason Tao?" Tao's head immediately swiveled to the Elder, "what do you mean Elder?" The Elder's masked gaze met Tao's, wisdom seeming to pore from the inky sockets, "is there a reason you lied to Kagimaru?" Tao's ears and tail stuck out in surprise, her eyes shooting open before slowly relaxing, "Elder knew didn't she?" The Elder nodded as Tao's surprise passed, "Why did you lie?" Tao's head sunk a bit as her paws began to play with one another, "Tao is...scared. Tao doesn't know what Heart Guy thinks about it...Tao doesn't want to ask him, Tao's too afraid of the answer." Tao smiled brightly as the Elder, a false reaction if the wizened Kaka had ever seen one, "Besides, if Heart Guy finds someone better than Tao then it would be easier for him if Tao didn't remember a thing."

Before a response could be made Kagimaru returned, his hand holding up a spare of Tao's outfit in triumph, "Found it!" "Thanks Heart Guy," Tao said with joy as she carefully stood, "Tao was feeling a little icky in this dirty jacket!" Without warning Tao began to strip, her paw gripping the massive zipper on her coat without a second thought. Kagimaru's face turned a bright red, the last thing he saw was a flash of smooth tan skin before he dropped the new jacket, turned on his heel, and walked out of the room in utter embarrassment.

He could barely hear Tao's confused questions or the Elders quiet snickering...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~_Spatial Rend_ **Roar of Time**~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Tao can make it Heart Guy!"

"You've fallen three times now..."

"But Tao can do it! Nya, trust me a litt-ah!"

Kagimaru let loose a quiet sigh, his eyes looking down at Tao as she rested upon her sore rear, gently holding the base of her tail as she moaned in pain. "Ouch, that hurt," Tao mumbled as she attempted to climb to her feet, an act which had happened with persistent frequency since they had left the Kaka Village. With each step Tao's strength seemed to sap away from her body, her muscles refusing to do any strenuous work and at times purely collapsing from activity. Kagimaru sighed in exasperation, walking over to Tao and passing her without a single word. Tao looked up in confusion, about to voice her annoyance at being left in such a weakened state, when Kagimaru suddenly stopped. Instead Kagimaru stood before Tao for a moment before kneeling slowly, holding out his arms behind him in a gesture toward Tao, "come on."

Tao felt heat rush to her face as she quizzically spoke, "Nya? C-come on what Heart Guy?" Kagimaru turned his head, just enough for Tao to see the corner of his piercing blue eyes and his amused smile, "Hop on my back Tao, I'll give you a ride to Litchi's clinic." A lump formed in Tao's throat, nearly stopping her next words, "Nya Heart Guy, I can walk!" In a moment of sheer bravado Tao leapt to her feet, attempting to prove her limitless vitality. However once again her legs gave way beneath her and she found herself falling face first into the ground. Yet, despite her sudden fall Tao landed not on the hard cement but rather the broad back of Kagimaru, his hands gently curling around Tao's legs as he secured the cat girl to his back. As Kagimaru stood up Tao's arms reflexively reached around his body, holding onto his neck from pure instinct. The soft chuckle emanating from Kagimaru could easily fool one into believing he had planned it.

Tao's face was covered by a warm ruby blush, her normally exuberant attitude silenced by Kagimaru's sly set up, "Heart Guy that was mean!" Kagimaru chuckled again but didn't respond; instead he calmly set off for Litchi's clinic, his calm and even pace at ends with Tao's usual super speed. Instead of arguing, as Kagimaru had fully expected of the young Kaka, she remained quite sullen, quiet and lax as Kagimaru took his sweet time. In a way the change was pleasant, Tao's silence was welcome after so long of her complaining about falling. However, it was also disheartening, a worried look crossing Kagimaru's face as he wondered what Tao's expression was.

Had he taken the chance Kagimaru would have been graced by Tao's luminescent ruby eyes, the soft glow emanating from them seeming to lock onto Kagimaru's chestnut hair. Tao's expression was unreadable but she never ceased her stare, instead she calmly laid her head against Kagimaru's back and allowed her arms to tighten just the slightest bit.

For quite some time Tao was silent, Kagimaru gaining peace long enough to make it from the Kaka village to Orient town at his own pace without a single peep. Judging from Tao's rhythmic breathing Kagimaru guessed that Tao had fallen asleep, her injured form just too exhausted to remain conscious. Kagimaru was nearly convinced that he wouldn't hear another word from Tao until she softly muttered, "Heart Guy?" Kagimaru slowed his pace slightly, glancing over his shoulder as he spoke, "Hm? Are you okay Tao?" Tao's head was bent forward, her hood seeming to swallow even more of her features as she tentatively responded, "...yeah, Tao is fine...Heart Guy, could you tell Tao something?" Kagimaru's attention had been fully captured, his pace slowing even more as Tao spoke, "Yeah, what is it Tao?" Tao was silent for a moment, her eyes invisible behind the cream hood of her jacket...

"Does Heart Guy like Tao?"

Kagimaru was thrown into an instant stop, his mind grinding to a halt as he tried to face Tao the best he could. For a moment Tao remained in her previous spot, her head bowed as she refused to present any information on her well being. "Tao?" Kagimaru asked quietly, concern lacing his tone as he looked at the vulnerable Kaka. Suddenly, with a surprising whirl of energy Tao smiled up at Kagimaru, her voice still soft yet holding her natural tremendous energy, "Tao just wanted to know cause Tao likes hanging around with Heart Guy so much, Tao thought she should ask in case she was keeping Heart Guy from his other friends, nya!" Kagimaru could feel something behind Tao's smile, it seemed...off for her. Almost...tense. Despite this Kagimaru returned the smile with one of his very best, leaning his head back and lightly bumping Tao's skull with his own, "I like you Tao, don't worry about keeping me from anything because I'm at my happiest when I'm right here with you."

The rest of the path to Litchi's clinic was full of Tao's contented purring, her paws gently draped over Kagimaru's shoulder as she drooled all over his back, a pleased smile on her sleeping face.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~_Spatial Rend _**Roar of Time**~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"The wound appears to be healing very well Kagimaru. Even with its slow regeneration rate it should be completely healed within a week or so."

"Thank you Dr. Litchi..."

"You should feel lucky Kagimaru, not many people can walk around with an open wound like that for so long. Medically speaking it shouldn't even be possible, especially since all of your other injuries heal so quickly..."

"I understand," Kagimaru spoke with a sigh, his eyes holding the listlessness of a steel grey sky. His normally vibrant blue eyes were icy, glazed as his attention was far from the doctor before him. Litchi raised an eyebrow as she spoke, "and your wound should swell up to the size of a watermelon and explode." "I got it Dr. Litchi," was Kagimaru's only response, his eyes still unfocused as Litchi sighed. With a soft rap upside the head Kagimaru suddenly jumped to attention, "wait, what?"

Litchi smiled softly, "You didn't seem to be listening Kagimaru." Kagimaru smiled sheepishly, "Yeah, I'm sorry Dr. Litchi, my mind has been elsewhere." Litchi nodded, "Well as I was saying, your wound looks very good with all circumstances considered. Even with the odd coloration it appears as though everything is healing and it should be completely closed within a month if not sooner." Kagimaru smiled a bit brighter, "Oh thank you Dr. Litchi that is a relief to hear." Litchi set down her medical chart, acknowledging Kagimaru's response but as she pulled up a chair, there seemed to be more that she wanted to speak about.

As Litchi sat down her gaze met Kagimaru's, "So what has happened between you and Tao?" Kagimaru almost choked on air alone, his throat barely squeezing out his response, "W-what?" A concerned smile crossed Litchi's face, "lately Tao hasn't been calling me booby lady as often or been yelling her head off every time she enters the clinic. Now here you are, sitting in my clinic and hearing the news you have been waiting for only to completely ignore all of it."

Kagimaru considered lying for a minute, if his previous thoughts were not troubling enough he didn't want to have the only doctor he knew send him away without any further treatment. However, he knew it might be just as bad to lie as it was to tell the truth...so he told her everything. He calmly retold the entire story, from the moment Tao brought him to the Kaka city to the moment she declared him to be hers. Even the walk to the clinic was told in accurate detail, his tale ending with a gentle sigh, "and that's just been buzzing around my head so much lately..."

For a moment Litchi seemed speechless, an unreadable emotion on her face that either denoted confusion or surprise. In seconds the expression changed with a wide smile, her eyes closing with the brightness of her grin, "Why does that bother you so much?" Kagimaru blinked in surprise, "...huh?" Litchi giggled at his clueless response, "Tao has had feelings for you for quite some time Kagimaru, if her actions the other day haven't proven it then I don't know what could." Kagimaru sheepishly smiled, "True...but she doesn't remember any of it, what if I suddenly break out and say, 'hey Tao, we're engaged because when you won you claimed me as yours.' She would think I'm making the whole thing up..."

Litchi sighed internally, it was almost painful the way Kagimaru was handling Tao's blatant lie. Yet, she felt the urge to be matchmaker rise again so she chose her next words carefully, "well Kagimaru, what if you look at it this way. Tao fought to keep you with her right?" Kagimaru nodded and affirmation so Litchi continued, "Which means she's had feelings for you and they were not a sudden emotions correct?" Litchi could see the blush erupt across Kagimaru's face, "Yeah." "So what makes you think that Tao getting a little bit of amnesia is going to change?" Litchi said with a helpful smile, a delicate finger curling under her chin as she watched Kagimaru's reaction.

It was like watching a dim light turn into a burning bulb, his lips slowly turning into a reserved grin which did nothing to hide the bright emotion behind it. "That is..." Kagimaru's smile widened, "very true." Litchi giggled softly, "Think of the engagement as something you don't need to concentrate on at the moment. Take your time, introduce her to it in your own way. I bet she won't mind at all." Kagimaru hadn't heard the last part, his mind had already taken to forming images of the lovely Tao; her incredible form by his side, curled up in the ray of sun, hunting fugitives for the Kaka clan, the night they finally wed...

Having Kagimaru's face turn a bright red hue concerned Litchi for a moment before his hand came up to his face, the wide palm trying to hide the massive grin and embarrassment behind it. Litchi gave Kagimaru a knowing smirk as the unfortunate vigilante attempted to stifle his thoughts the best he could. A few moments later Kagimaru and Litchi were winding down their conversation, Kagimaru learning more about his prognosis and the recent positive change Litchi had seen in his unique condition...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~**Roar of Time**~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Without warning the door to the clinic creaked open, a very familiar shape taking up space in the doorway for the slightest of moments before darting in soundlessly. From shadow to shadow the shape moved, zipping along at inhuman speed until it reached its destination. Wordlessly the shape came to a room full of voices, the only option in the clinic on such a quiet day. With a quiet giggling, the shape gently gripped the door handle and prepared for its spectacular surprise.

In a flash the door to the private room burst open, Tao leaping into the small cell with a ridiculously happy smile and jubilant voice, "Hey booby-lady! I'm he-" Tao's breath caught in her throat, her natural energy put to a stop once she took in the contents of the room. Sitting at the doctor's desk was Litchi, a common scene to be sure, however it was the other occupant that caused her sudden silence. Sitting on the examination table with his back to her was Kagimaru, his body bare from the waist up to show something Tao had never seen before. From Kagimaru's left shoulder blade to just above his tail bone was a massive scar, a wide wound that appeared to be still open despite the scared tissue surrounding it. Deep within the darkest pits of the wound there appeared to be an odd green hue, an emerald glow peppering the depths of the wound.

It took a full three seconds for Kagimaru to register Tao but when he did he was fast to act, quickly turning around to meet Tao's surprised gaze with a crimson blush tainting his cheeks. His hands shot to the side and quickly grabbed his sleeveless sweater, rapidly pulling it onto his body. When his face reappeared he gave Tao an embarrassed grin, a hand nervously scratching his head as he spoke, "uh...hey Tao."

Tao's mood earlier in the day had been so very good. She had a huge tasty meal, a delightful undisturbed nap in the sun, and she was able to get a nice easy bounty all before the Elder asked her to go to Litchi for her checkup. Tao could have gone her entire day in that blissful state...however, considering what she had just seen that wasn't possible anymore. Tao's first emotion was confusion, what was Heart Guy doing at the clinic? Next came her embarrassment, does he still remember what happened at the village? Then a touch of jealousy, why was he shirtless with booby lady? And finally came her one and only voiced emotion, concern, "Heart Guy!"

Kagimaru was slightly surprised by Tao's speed, her body already behind him as she spoke again, "What happened to you!" As Tao gripped the bottom hem of his sweater he quickly pulled away, his cheeks tinted red from embarrassment as he spoke, "What are you doing?" Tao gave Kagimaru a look of concern, "How did Heart Guy get that? Does it hurt?" Suddenly her features went angry, rage pooling around her as she violently hissed, "Who did this to you Heart Guy? Tao will rip them to pieces!" Tao was just about to turn around and stomp out the door, her claws already tensing for a battle with whoever gave Kagimaru such a large cut.

Suddenly, Tao's body was wrapped up in warmth, the strong arms of Kagimaru holding onto her tightly as he spoke, "whoa, whoa, whoa! Hold up there Tao!" "Grrr," Tao growled, struggling in Kagimaru's grip, "let Tao go Heart Guy, Tao has to go kick the ass of whoever hurt Heart Guy!" Kagimaru felt his normally strong grip begin to break, Tao's body seeming to radiate energy as her eyes glowed a bit brighter. With all the strength he could muster Kagimaru held on tighter, keeping Tao as still as possible as he shouted out, "Wait Tao! I don't know if anyone did this, I just woke up with it one day!"

Tao suddenly stopped her thrashing, her muscles still tensed to their absolute maximum as she asked, "Are you telling the truth Heart Guy?" Kagimaru nodded, "I promise Tao, I don't know if anyone did this to me. One morning I woke up and it was like this, Dr. Litchi has been treating me for a few months now because it has healed very slowly." With his answer given and Tao's struggles ceased, Kagimaru gently put Tao on the ground once more, thankful that the encounter was over. Kagimaru suddenly felt Tao's paw smacking him across the face, a soft hit meant to stun more than anything else, "Why didn't Heart Guy tell Tao!" Kagimaru, completely wordless, stayed quiet as Tao continued her rant, "If Heart Guy was hurt that badly Tao wouldn't have kept Heart Guy out hunting bad guys for so long! Heart Guy should be resting, not out being a vigi-lanta!"

As Tao continued to tear into Kagimaru, Litchi had a free moment to watch the two, a simple observation on their interactions. Despite Tao's loud words and energetic anger her tail was swishing quickly, her joy at seeing Kagimaru present in her uncontrolled mannerisms. The same could be said about Kagimaru, despite his surprised and submissive stance his eyes appeared to gleam. There was a touch of amusement in his gaze as he attempted to defend his case from the agitated feline. Litchi sighed as she stood up from her desk and approached the two, she would never get anything done with those two here. With a sharp flick of her wrist two hollow cracks echoed within the room, Litchi's manten staff twirling between her fingers as Tao and Kagimaru rubbed their sore skulls.

"Now Tao, be nice to Kagimaru," Litchi chided, "he didn't want to worry you and have you react in the exact way you are right now." Taokaka gave a submissive mew along with a moan of pain as she rubbed her throbbing noggin. Before Kagimaru could get smug Litchi turned to him, "and you told me you weren't doing any strenuous bounty hunting. We talked about what activity could do to the wound." "I'm sorry Dr. Litchi," Kagimaru apologized, his hand resting on the growing lump on his head. "Good, now Tao you're here for your check up right?" Tao nodded, her ears low and her tail between her legs, "alright then. Just hop up on the examination table while I show Kagimaru out."

Kagimaru, hand on his head, gave Tao one last smile before he followed Litchi leaving behind Tao, her teeth shining in a bright grin...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~END~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Whelp there you go, something interesting to wrap up this chapter and give me enough wiggle room for the next. I really do hope you enjoyed, remember to review, and I hope you have an excellent day!


	6. Poison

Alright then ladies and gentlemen of Kagatsuchi, I'm sorry to keep you waiting so long but here is the next chapter of Tao and the Art of Love. This took me a while, not only because I have moved back to school but also because of my recent birthday celebrations and some difficulty finding time to sit down and write this story. Since school has started recently as well I think updates might be a bit further in-between than before but I promise that this story will be finished. I would never leave Taokaka hanging like this! I promise as a hero of Kagatsuchi!

Please read, review, and most of all enjoy!

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing

_Chapter 6: Poison_

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~**_REBEL 6: START_**~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Thanks booby lady! Tao feels awesome!"

"Just remember to take it easy the next couple of days alright Tao?"

"Tao will try booby lady!"

A bright gleaming grin was the last Litchi saw of Tao, the energetic Kaka launching out of Litchi's front door with the same characteristic electricity everyone had come to know from her. Tao would admit that the past few days she had been less than herself, fretting and somewhat worried over Kagimaru and the current status of their relationship. Were they friends or...were they perhaps something more? Despite her constant thoughts, a rarity for one who lives so deeply in the moment, she found a little bit of solace in the afternoon...after all she got to see Heart Guy again and that was always a treat. She also had the opportunity to ask Litchi's advice on the matter between herself and Kagimaru, a question which seemed to bring the doctor a small smile of amusement before offering all the advice she could give.

Had she been given the opportunity she would have thought about Kagimaru's wound a bit more or perhaps thought about what Litchi's advice was. Granted this thought process would be very short lived and overall forgotten with a short amount of time but the opportunity itself never came. Instead of peaceful darkened street a pair of hands slid over Tao's eyes, an amused voice speaking up, "Guess who?" Tao giggled slightly and turned in the arms, bright crimson eyes shimmering as they fell on the face of a grinning Kagimaru, "Hey Heart Guy!" Suddenly, as her mind remembered the previous events, Tao's eyes narrowed and she softly swatted Kagimaru over the head, "Don't think Tao just forgot all about Heart Guy lying to Tao! Tao forgets a lot of things but she won't forget that!" Kagimaru chuckled softly and rubbed his head, "I'm sorry Tao, I didn't know you cared so much but..." Kagimaru's eyes closed from his unusually bright grin, "how about I make it up to you?" "Nya?" Tao questioned, her head slightly tilted to the side, "make it up to Tao?" Kagimaru nodded, "Yep, dinner and it's my treat." "Nya!" Tao's eyes seemed to shine, "Tao will forgive anything for that Heart guy! Let's go!" As Tao pulled him along, following her delicate nose, Kagimaru reminded himself to thank Litchi the next time he saw the fair doctor.

In no time at all, and with only minimal damage to Kagimaru's abused shoulder, the pair arrived at Orient Town's most popular eating establishment, Tao simply drooling at the scents as Kagimaru felt his wallet scream in terror for the bill to come. After grabbing their seats and ordering their meals they began to talk, or more accurately Tao began to enthusiastically describe each and every delicious smell that crossed her nose while Kagimaru simply listened, a small grin on his lips as Tao commented endlessly. In due time the food arrived and Tao dug in, causing plate after plate to vanish in the blink of an eye. Kagimaru, while at a much slower pace, still ate his fair share and was comfortably full around the same time Tao leaned back in her chair, purring in happiness from her filled belly.

"Nya," Tao sighed, "Tao is so full...she doesn't know if she can eat anymore." Kagimaru chuckled; he knew that in a few moments time Tao could easily be stuffing her face once again. As he looked at Tao he could almost envision the please smile on her mouth, her cheeks rosy with satisfaction as her tongue licked her lips, trying to savor any remaining flavor from her meal. As he stared Tao began to notice Kagimaru's silence, her eyes opening and giving the inattentive Kagimaru a confused stare.

"Heart Guy?" Tao asked, snapping Kagimaru out of his confusion, "is there something on Tao's face?" Kagimaru smirked in response, "No there isn't, I was just thinking how happy Tao looks." Tao felt her cheeks heat up slightly, her smile coming out soft and reserved as she spoke, "oh...um...thanks Heart Guy." Despite her small grin Kagimaru noticed something in Tao's gaze, a certain spark in her crimson stare. Leaning a bit closer to the relaxed Kaka, his question came smoothly and with a gentle air, "Is something bothering you Tao?"

Judging by the shock of Tao's jump Kagimaru was willing to guess he had hit the proverbial nail on the head. His stare became more inquisitive as Tao's paws began to clasp together, protecting her as she fiddled with them. "Well...um..." Tao began, her eyes not quite meeting Kagimaru's as she spoke, "Tao...was just thinking...a bit you know...and, um..." Kagimaru's paws fidgeted just a bit more, her tone becoming quiet and almost inaudible as Kagimaru asked, "Yes Tao?"

"N-nyothing!" Tao said with a sudden burst of energy, her infectious smile bursting from the shadows of her hood while a paw slammed down on the table with a reverberating thud. Kagimaru gave Tao a surprised and suspicious look, curiosity echoing in his gaze as he began to speak, "Tao, what were you going to sa-" With a soft puff Tao's paw playfully slapped Kagimaru across the face, Kagimaru's instinctive jerking back using more force than the actual hit itself. Kagimaru's expression changed from confusion to shock as Tao stuck her tongue out at him, leaping from her seat and racing from the restaurant in a peal of playful laughter. Kagimaru was quick to throw the money onto the table, racing after the excitable Kaka with his own amused grin and capturing goal.

Kagimaru would admit, for Tao's less than spectacular mental abilities her physical stature was more than incredible. While he could keep up with her admirable speed he would never be able to acquire the energy or leg strength for her spectacular jumps and flips through the air. She bounded from one wall to another so frequently Kagimaru began to think Tao had installed rubber on the bottom of her angled boots. With one particularly long jump Tao spun in midair, her feline flexibility showing remarkable use as provoked Kagimaru with a show of her bright red tongue. Tao's challenge hung in the air as she gracefully spun, righting herself in her flight before bounding off into another remarkable leap.

Kagimaru grinned at the challenge, upping his own speed and gradually catching up with the Kaka quicksilver. For quite some time Kagimaru hung back from Tao, matching her speed but waiting for a critical moment to strike. All along the way Tao continued to taunt and tease Kagimaru, her paws pulling her face into ridiculous expressions in an attempt to arise Kagimaru's ire. Despite these efforts Kagimaru remained calm, an amused grin touching his lips as he followed. It seemed that his chance would never come right up until the moment when Tao landed in the puddle of water.

For the briefest of seconds Tao's footing faltered, her step slowing just enough for Kagimaru to catch on. With a burst of speed Kagimaru was right on top of Tao, his arms spread out wide like a pouncing predator upon his prey. Noticing her imminent capture was but a hairs breadth away Tao attempted to leap away, aiming for the small gap between the plates of Kagatsuchi and perhaps a chance at escape. As Tao jumped for escape Kagimaru's hands clamped down, one missing Tao completely but the other managing to grasp the edge of Tao's coat. With his victory assured Kagimaru gave a bright smile which just as quickly transformed into an expression of pure surprise and to a point terror. With her acceleration at insane speeds Tao easily pulled Kagimaru along with her, his strong grip working against him and leading him into a wild free fall with Tao between the plates of Kagatsuchi.

Just as Tao thought she had assured her escape Kagimaru retained his grip, holding on tightly and pulling Tao closer to him. With one final tug Tao was wrapped up tightly in Kagimaru's arms, their bodies in a complete free fall as Kagimaru grinned with victory, "I caught you Tao." Despite their situation, hurtling through the air at untold speeds, Tao couldn't help the blush that hit her face. A bright scarlet burnt across her cheeks as she tried to hide the flush with a downturned hood, "Nya...Heart Guy was just lucky!" Kagimaru smirked, "Luck has nothing to do with it."

Tao opened her mouth to argue back but at that instant both energetic warriors noticed something very important, the ground was catching up on them and fast. With a twist of her spine and incredible balance Tao righted herself, watching as Kagimaru performed a similar maneuver with a bit less grace and skill. In seconds the pair impacted the ground in tandem, their combined weight reverberating along the strong iron plate. For a moment both appeared ready to sprint off again, their game of cat and mouse far from over. Yet, just as they took another step the floor beneath them began to give, the ancient metal beneath their soles giving one last groan of protest before collapsing into hundreds of rusted bits. As the world seemed to rise around her Tao had the oddest sensation of déjà vu.

To Tao and Kagimaru the world quickly became a blur, their freefall causing the world to become a pure swath of uncoordinated coloration. Tao would have marveled at the beauty had Kagimaru not roughly pushed her, the force driving her far away from his own falling body. Just as Tao turned to yell at Kagimaru she found herself nose to metal with a massive chunk of the plate, the massive blade like debris falling directly in the spot Tao had once been. As the chunk of metal passed the pair Tao saw Kagimaru, his eyes turned upward and to the hole in the floor they had created, keeping track of any and all deadly objects as they plummeted into the unknown.

It was seconds before the two reached the ground, solid concrete and metal meeting their crashing feet as they were accompanied by wave upon wave of metal and scrap. A small mountain began to form from the debris, chunks of rusted and sharp metal sticking out from every possible angle. Kagimaru stood up from his crouch on the ground, his sore legs stretching and relaxing from their tremendous fall. Giving himself a once over Kagimaru grinned brightly and turned his head to check on Tao...

"Tao?"

Kagimaru stared at the metal mountain that sat before him, the great wall of twisted iron rising higher than he though possible. The wall stretched a fair length in either direction and with its jagged spikes and spines; there was no way to safely climb over the treacherous terrain. As Kagimaru looked over the iron hill his heart began to speed, had Tao been trapped beneath the rubble? Had she fallen beneath the foot of this twisted metal giant? A cold sweat broke out along Kagimaru's brow, ice water running through his veins as he screamed out, "TAO!"

"...guy?"

It was faint, a soft call from far away but Kagimaru heard it loud and clear in his frantic state, "TAO! I'M ON MY WAY!" There was silence for a bit before the voice responded, "...k!" With all of his speed placed into his frantic feet Kagimaru rushed for one side of the pile, running with all of his speed and strength in hopes of finding Tao unhurt.

Despite his hopes and prayers Tao was less than safe; in fact not many things could have been much worse. With Tao's incredible grace and speed Tao was able to land without a problem, easily tucking into a roll the moment she hit the ground and coming to rest far from the center of the junk heap. However, despite this lucky break Tao was far from out of the danger zone as a piece of shrapnel flew from the pile, a horrible crunch sounding as it broke from a larger piece of scrap and embedded itself in a meaty chunk of Tao's thigh. Tao bit back a scream as she fell to one knee, reaching back and feeling the small spire of steel jutting from the back of her leg. With a slow hiss she grabbed hold of the smooth fragment and jerked it from her flesh, a pained yowl just barely crossing her lips. Tossing the spire away she slowly made it to her feet, favoring her uninjured foot as she hobbled towards the pile.

"...oa!"

Tao's sensitive ears perked up instantly, the sharp triangles listening closely as she called out with all of her might, "HEART GUY?" Tao waited for a moment, listening carefully as she just barely heard the reply, "...ao...I...on...way..." Tao smiled softly, relief slowly flowing through her as she called back, "Okay Heart Guy!" Shaking her head Tao knew she should have been able to call louder, her voice didn't sound nearly as loud as it should have. Thinking a bit Tao realized she suddenly felt very sluggish, sleepy too now that she thought about it. Turning away from the metal pile she went to find somewhere to nap, her bloody leg slowly leaking greater and greater amounts of crimson liquid. Tao didn't notice that her leg seemed to ooze the liquid, her wound spilling enough to leave a solid trail from her landing point to the mountain. Tao only made it a few more steps before she slowly fell to her knees, lying down on her paws, and drifting into a peaceful unconsciousness...

"Wh...her...a...kaka...er?" a muddled voice spoke, it's broken speech sounding akin to a scratched record than a human voice box. With the grace of a slithering snake a shape broke from the shadows, its simple raven black body crawling across the ground with unnatural speed and grace. With radical maneuvers and turns the shape seemed to twist around scattered bits of rubble, bending beyond the limits of imagination as its pointed feet skittered across the ground. Resting at the bow of the slithering form was a simple white mask, a pearly white oval with three circular holes. The creature that approached the sleeping Kaka was none other than Arakune, the black demon from beneath the plates of Kagatsuchi. Arakune arrived at Tao's body with remarkable speed, the multitude of legs that lined its side aiding in its speedy recovery. As the beast neared Tao it's speech became even more shattered, the hissing voice rising as Arakune's body seemed to swell with anticipation, "way...own...ook...licuious. I must...vour...ength...find...azure!"

Kagimaru ran quickly around the mountain, his feet a blur as he raced for Tao's side. Some time ago he had ceased hearing Tao's voice, her returned howls dyeing down as he dashed with all of his strength. Needless to say Kagimaru was worried, it wasn't like Tao to be quiet for any reason other than to eat and even then she was typically scarfing her face loud enough for everyone to hear her. "Tao! TAO!" Kagimaru screamed; his voice hoarse from overuse and with nothing to return his screams they were getting increasingly desperate. However, relief seemed to be on the horizon because with a burst of adrenaline Kagimaru burst from the corner of the pile, leaping from a ledge and gaining a full range view of where he had guessed Tao was. For a moment he smiled brightly, the tan color of Tao's jacket easily coming into view...second before his expression dropped into the pits of despair.

Kagimaru had indeed seen the tan coloration of Tao's jacket but what he hadn't expected to see was the black blob, Arakune, slowly sucking in the last bit of Tao's body in its gorging feast. Kagimaru watched as Tao's limp arm was slowly absorbed into Arakune's body, her gentle paw vanishing into the pitch black form. Kagimaru instantly felt rage course throughout his system, his hand immediately gripping his two blades and darting for Arakune, "YOU BASTARD!" As Kagimaru pulled back his arm to strike Arakune seemed to blink out of existence; a small portal pulling the monster through to another dimension. Kagimaru followed through with his strike, rage pulsing through his veins as his knife was buried into the solid ground. A gargantuan explosion sounded from the thrust, dust and debris shooting from the once stable earth while the ground caved to form a narrow three foot deep crater.

Kagimaru was instantly standing, his knife forgotten as he grabbed another one from his sash, "Come out you fucking monster!" Kagimaru saw a sliver of black from the corner of his vision, his instincts instantly slashing at the approaching object only to find a massive armored leech, split from tip to tail by his furious blade. Kagimaru nearly growled as he heard another approaching sound, the ticking a hundreds of pointed feet racing for his direction. Kagimaru turned with another slash of his deadly edge, the monolithic centipede which had been coming for him now lying in a pile of mincemeat.

Kagimaru's anger was quickly on the rise, his heart pumping with the speed of a racing locomotive as he fended off wave after wave of mutated insect. With each cowardly attack Kagimaru could only defend and provoke, calling for the raven monstrosity to come out and fight in the flesh and blood. What Kagimaru failed to notice in the haze of his rush was the burning in his back, the slow simmering bubbling that had begun to erupt along the full length of his wound. From the shallow open wound there was a soft green glow, a sickly jade hue that seemed to bubble and foam along the deepest pits of the scar. Slowly the emerald foam began to grow, rising up to touch the bandages that were wrapped around his body. The moment the luminescent bubbling touched the bandages the tightly wound cloth disintegrated, his bandages and even his clothing seeming to evaporate in a hissing sizzle.

In a matter of minutes the frothy ivy energy had burst from his clothing, the green luminescence seeming to spill from his wound in a rabid craze. As Kagimaru made a swift slash of his blades some of the fizzing power was shaken off, floating to the ground in a violent hiss. All the while Kagimaru ignored the froth, the sizzle and burn falling upon deaf ears as he focused all of his rage and strength on finding Arakune. Every second was a haze of insects, of biting, of stinging, and it was beginning to wear on his nerves. Without knowing it Kagimaru's hair slowly began to stand up even further on end while his eyes squinted nearly shut, his normally azure hued iris' being invaded by cracks of glowing chartreuse.

Suddenly, beyond the mass of insects and attacks Kagimaru felt he could make something out...something black and blob shaped. Before his mind could configure a plan his body was already moving, a wild lunge and strike in the direction of the shapeless object. With a swift slice of his blade he heard an echoing scream, a pained howl that shattered the silence of the twilight underground. Kagimaru's mouth opened in a wicked grin and he turned his gaze up towards the very cause of his rage, Arakune. The beast shivered and attempted to back away from Kagimaru, its shattered voice speaking, "How...find...hidden...green...poison!" Arakune lurched further into the darkness of its home, its body of knowledge forming a teleportation portal just large enough for it to squeeze through.

Before the beast could flee Kagimaru was in its face, his speed reaching new heights as he cocked a fist, "You're not escaping again!" With a wicked thrust Kagimaru planted his fist right in the center of Arakune's mask, his icy blue gaze being taken over by even more by the eerie golden cracks. Arakune flew like a ragdoll, its body flailing hopelessly before slamming into a solid steel support. With a stressed groan of fatigue the support bent and snapped like a dry autumn twig. This buckling caused Arakune to continue his flight, hitting two more beams with similar reactions for each destructive impact. Eventually Arakune slammed against one final barrier, a monolithic plate of metal which held fast and allowed Arakune to slink down to the cold hard ground.

Yet, the torture was far from over for Arakune because just as it began its decent to the soil, Kagimaru was once again in the monsters cracked face, his grin as terrifying as the glowing emerald froth continued to seep from his back. His insane Cheshire smile still in place, Kagimaru pierced two chunks of Arakune's ether-like flesh, his knives easily sinking into the beast and the solid steel wall behind it. Even though the creature screamed out in pain Kagimaru refused to cease, his hands a blur as he planted ten more of his jagged knives on the circumference of the beast. All the while Kagimaru's grin grew wider and wider, his two toned eyes completely feral as his hair tinged slightly green.

With Arakune firmly fastened to the wall, Kagimaru forcibly planted his feet on either side of the beast, his hand pulled back with his fingers spread wide and twitching slightly, "UNLOCK: DESTRUCTION DISSONENCE!" With a hideous thrust Kagimaru slammed his palm into the center of Arakune's mask, Kagimaru's grasping fingers bubbling with the same emerald energy that spewed from his wound. Slowly, Arakune seemed to vibrate...gradually at first its entire body began to shiver and quake. However, as time went on the quaking became worse, the vibrations even more horrendous, before suddenly Arakune screamed out in raw pain. In a flash of emerald light Arakune seemed to explode, his black globule body exploding like a balloon and spraying across the wall in a raven colored splatter.

In Arakune's place was a body, a lithe and trimmed form held up by the edges of tattered cloth trapped beneath sharp blades. In the center of Arakune's eruption was Taokaka, her clothing a mess and her body pale and slightly burnt. However, aside from these misfortunes her breath came in slow, skipping gasps. With the speed of the wind Kagimaru instantly retrieved all of the knives, letting Tao's body fall into his arms. The loud groan of metal accompanied his disconnection with the wall only to be followed by silence as Kagimaru rushed for the mountain of metal, a brilliant smile on his face as his deep blue eyes burned with joy.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~**_END_**~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

And here we are, mysteries deepen as the world comes to a mysterious emerald hue. I hope you enjoyed and please review. Thank you and have a good one now!


	7. Heal

Thank you all for you interest in "Tao and the Art of Love," it's been very rewarding seeing how many people actually like this story. I also want to say that this update was done a bit quickly because I found a small but manageable gap in time for me to push ahead with this project so I hit it like an angry god and did the best I could. Thank you to everyone who reads and even more gracious thanks to those who read and review. Please, do review because it keeps me chugging along on this project in such a timely manner.

Please read, review, and most of all enjoy!

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing

_Chapter 7: Heal  
_

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~**_REBEL 7: START_**~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Is he really here?"

"Yes, he just went over to visit the village elder right now."

"Oh wow! He's come back, he's come back!"

Kagimaru groaned in pain, his throat sounding as if he had a whole family of frogs living in his larynx, "Uh...hello?" "What? Kagimaru!" Suddenly he could feel a soft human hand press against his forehead, the cool touch feeling good as he croaked out, "who's there..." "It's Dr. Litchi, Kagimaru," the kind doctor spoke in a soft voice, "You came back to the village beat up and on the edge of exhaustion." Slowly Kagimaru gradually opened his eyes, the light burning his gaze for a slight second before he could refocus, his sight quickly coming to terms with the brightness of the room. "I was?" Kagimaru spoke, his hoarse voice being followed by his own instinctual cough in and attempt to clear his throat. "Yes, you looked like you had been through a very harsh battle," Litchi said with concern before her tone turned into a motherly chastising, "you were covered with all sorts of wounds and I was certain that you would be asleep longer than just a day and a half."

Kagimaru chuckled quietly, a tired smile on his mouth as he spoke, "I guess I should be thankful for my unnatural vitality...what about Tao?" Glancing at Litchi through his unfocused eyes he could see her calmly smile, a bit of a playful tone seeping into her voice as she spoke, "Tao is alright. She lost a fair amount of blood but the wound was closed by some sort of acid or searing heat source so she had enough to survive until I could get her condition stable. She's recovering in the next room over." Kagimaru's interest was peaked as he asked, "Is she awake?" Litchi nodded with a sigh, "Yes unfortunately..." Kagimaru blinked in confusion, "Unfortunately?"

"LET TAO GO!"

The unmistakable sound of Tao's voice burst through the conjoined wall, Kagimaru chuckling quietly while Litchi sighed in exasperation, "we've had to keep at least three members of the Kaka clan in the room with her to keep her from sneaking or fighting her way out." Kagimaru laughed quietly, his voice soft in contrast to his normal volume, "ah that's Tao alright. She's probably starving for some meat buns about now." Looking to Litchi, Kagimaru caught the voluptuous woman's sly smirk, a very unnatural look from the doctor which worried him just a bit. "I don't think that's what Tao wants to leave for," Litchi giggled, a knowing glint in her eyes which left Kagimaru with even more questions. "What could Tao-" Kagimaru began but he was interrupted by another scream from the next room over, "TAO WANTS TO SEE HEART GUY RIGHT MEOW!"

Kagimaru's instant reaction was a bright crimson flush that washed across his cheeks with surprising speed, a nervous smile only serving to brighten the blush as his heart began to swell. It didn't even seem to register when the next room over began to shake and shiver, the sounds of screams and crashing objects echoed through the wall. It was at this point that Litchi politely excused herself from the room; her dainty fingers plucking her Manten staff from her hair as she softly stepped from the room. Seconds later a loud smack broke out followed by a sharp yowl, a pained whimper followed by a few indistinct voices. A bit curious over the happenings Kagimaru slowly righted himself in the bed, getting a feel for the limits of his strength as he prepared his first attempt to stand.

His thoughts and actions were interrupted with a loud slam, the door to his room being thrown open with ridiculous force by a single massive paw. Standing in the doorway was Tao, her crimson eyes frantically searching the room while a painful bump burnt on the top of her thick skull. The moment her eyes landed on Kagimaru her previously frowning turned completely upside down, her usual enthusiastic grin returning as she took a deep breath. "Heart Guy!" Tao shouted in joy as she raced for the bed, her legs preparing for a wild and untamed pounce on the still injured young man. Kagimaru winced and covered his face, hoping to shield himself from the incoming pain the best he could.

With a few seconds of zero contact Kagimaru opened his eyes, refocusing on Tao and her seemingly suspended flight in the air. Tao reached valiantly for Kagimaru, her arms stretched out to him with undeniable effort. However her suspended nature prevented any movement and she did all she could do, sulk and cross her arms across her chest. "Now Tao," Litchi said as she walked into the room, her levitating Manten Staff hovering Tao just inches above the ground, "you have to be careful with Kagimaru, he is still very hurt." Tao continued her pout, not looking at Litchi but said in a whiney tone, "Fine...I guess nya." As Tao's feet touched the floor she was instantly at Kagimaru's side, her bright grin wild and free as she placed a paw on top of his hand, "it's good to see you're okay Heart Guy!" Kagimaru smiled softly at Tao and her antics, "and I'm happy to see you are doing well too."

Tao nodded enthusiastically, backing a bit away from the bed and unabashedly pulling up the bottom of her coat. Kagimaru almost turned away out of embarrassment but when he noticed the bandages wrapping around Tao's thigh to just below her knee he couldn't stop staring, "Tao! How did that happen?" Tao shrugged as she let the coat drop down again, her bright smile so wide she closed her eyes to accommodate it all, "Tao doesn't know but Booby Lady says that if Heart Guy hadn't sealed up whatever it was so well, Tao would be kitty litter nya!" Kagimaru couldn't help chuckling at Tao's choice of wording, her expression for passing on being too funny for him to resist. However, worry soon returned to him and he looked to Litchi, his eyes questioning the validity of Tao's statement. Litchi nodded solemnly, walking forward until she was shoulder to should with Tao, "There is something we need to discuss as well." "Aw..." Tao said in a whining meow, "I just got to see Heart Guy, nya! Can't I listen too?"

Litchi was just about to deny Tao's request before Kagimaru smiled, his hand reaching out and gently touching Tao's paw, "Tao, it won't be long okay?" Tao turned to Kagimaru in surprise, her eyes looking down and finding his large atop her own huge paw. The mere feel of his hand on her own sent warmth spreading from her heart, heat rising and invading her shadowed cheeks swiftly. Tao looked up into Kagimaru's eyes, his brilliant blue eyes sending shivers down her spine and along her puffed out tail. "O-Okay Heart Guy! Tao will be back soon nya!" With those words Tao literally skipped out of the room, her smile threatening to split her face in half as she exited.

Kagimaru gave Tao one last smile before he turned to face Litchi, "So what did you need to talk about doctor?" Litchi leveled her gaze to Kagimaru, her voice and expression serious as she spoke, "When you came back to the village many of the villagers said you leapt up through the hole that you and Tao created despite being at least a half a mile below the surface. They also said that they saw some sort of green energy leaking from your body right up until you lost consciousness." Kagimaru's gaze slowly broke away from Litchi's, instead turning to look at his hands as she continued, "I was also able to examine the scar on your back. It appears that it has closed even further than the last time I saw you...about a full half inch if I calculate correctly."

As Kagimaru lay there in his silence Litchi stared at him, her gaze showing her determination for the truth and her promise to pierce any lie that Kagimaru could possibly fabricate. Kagimaru took only a few glances at the doctor but instantly understood the look, so with a soft sigh he turned his head away from Litchi and instead focused his gaze on his hands in his lap. "I really don't know what happened," Kagimaru began softly, "After Tao and I had fallen down the hole we were separated for quite some time. Then when I arrived at Tao's location I found that...something was eating her."

Kagimaru didn't notice Litchi jump slightly, her focus on his becoming even more intense as he continued, "It was black and blob like...and just when I was about to attack it vanished through some portal. It sent a bunch of insects at me one after another and...I was getting more and more frantic to get Tao out of whatever that thing was." As Kagimaru paused Litchi's knees shook, fear welling up in her eyes as Kagimaru continued, "I don't know when it happened but this weird green energy started pouring out of me and I was getting faster and stronger. I remember I found the thing had become invisible or something and then...I pinned it to a wall and killed it to save Tao."

A loud clatter shook Kagimaru from his ravine, his eyes darting from his hands to Litchi. For her part the doctor was obviously effected, her body having to be propped against a desk while her Manten Rod lay on the ground. One hand covered her face in shock while she looked down to the floor, a quiet and frantic whispering echoing from her lips. "Doctor Litchi?" Kagimaru asked in confusion, worry tinting his tone as he looked at the distraught woman, "are you al-" Kagimaru was never able to finish his statement due to Litchi bolting from the room, her form vanishing out the door in seconds. Kagimaru was beyond confused, his body acting on it's own as he swung his feet over the edge of the bed with all the speed he could muster. Despite his frantic attempt this action was rendered slow and clumsy, Kagimaru's wounds preventing him from doing much more than a slow shuffle over the edge of his bed. With a bit more maneuvering Kagimaru placed both of his feet on the floor, the entirety of his weight hitting his wobbling legs as he shakily pushed himself up from the bed. As would be expected Kagimaru instantly collapsed, his body falling in a weakened heap but his eyes never leaving the spot where Litchi had fled only moments ago.

"Hey Heart Guy I saw Booby Lady running and...Heart Guy!" sounded a frantic voice, Tao's recognizable shout filled with surprise and worry as she rushed over to his side, "Are you alright, what were you thinking, nya?" As Tao helped Kagimaru back into his bed Kagimaru struggled for all of his weak worth with Tao, "Litchi, I said something to Doctor Litchi and she ran out! I have to go catch her!" Tao bared her teeth in a silent snarl as she roughly shoved Kagimaru back onto the bed, her two massive paws planting his shoulders to the mattress with a quiet growl, "Heat Guy will stay right here and tell Tao what happened right meow!" Seeing Tao's fierce determination Kagimaru gave up on his struggle, instead focusing on retelling Tao the tale of what happened below the plates of Kagatsuchi.

At the end of his tale Tao was practically bouncing on the tips of her toes, her bright and vivacious smile exploding across her lips seconds before she grasped Kagimaru in a massive hug, "Heart Guy killed the Black Squiggly just to save Tao? That is so awesome, nya! Heart Guy is the best!" Kagimaru's cheeks tinted red instantly, his heart picking up pace as Tao began to purr in delight. Yet, despite the pleased feelings Kagimaru couldn't bring a smile to his own face, instead he continued to hold a concerned look as he wrapped his arms around Tao. There was silence between the two for a while; Tao's purring the only sound that resonated in the room. "What's wrong Heart Guy?" Tao asked softly, her tone becoming gentle with a slight bit of concern, "Heart Guy's hugs are never this sad, nya."

Kagimaru sighed as he released Tao, the young Kaka reluctant but understanding as she let go of Kagimaru, "I told this to Dr. Litchi and she ran out for some reason." Tao tilted her head in confusion, silent as Kagimaru continued, "I don't know what I said...she looked very upset." Suddenly Tao's paw shot into the air, her voice exclaiming in triumphant tones, "Tao knows! Booby lady always asked Tao not to kill Black Squiggly, she wanted to do something to it I think, nya!" Tao placed her paw to her chin thoughtfully, "Tao never mew why though." Kagimaru's curiosity was evident as he spoke, "So I hurt Litchi by telling her I killed it?" Tao shrugged, a helpful smile breaking the dark of her hood, "Tao doesn't know but Tao will find out for Heart Guy! Give Tao a little bit and she'll bring Booby Lady so Heart Guy can ask her!"

Before Tao could leave, even before Kagimaru could stop her, the door of the room opened to a deep voice and a very unfamiliar figure, "Hey, what's all the ruckus in here?" Kagimaru was the first the turn to the door, his eyes coming upon a creature he had never seen before. To him, it appeared to be a cat that had stood up and began to walk on its hind legs. It's body was wrapped up in a yellow coat that held striking similarities to Tao's jacket while across it's back was a sword almost as large as the being itself. "Cat Person!" Tao enthusiastically called, leaping over to the small yellow creature with a bright grin and purr, "long time no see Cat Person!" Tao bent down sharply, her head at the same level as the Cat Person, its single visible curved almost shut in a smile, "Good to see you too kid." The Cat reached up and gently scratched behind Tao's ear, its massive paw making short work of Tao and resulting in the innocent Kaka curled up at its feet and purring quite loudly. As the Cat laughed in amusement it turned its eyes upward, facing the final occupant in the room, Kagimaru.

Seeing the interaction between the Cat and Tao, Kagimaru was smiling brightly, the amusement of the scene brightening his day significantly. However, it was only seconds before he found himself on the end of a leveled glare, the Cat's pupil sharpening to a slit while its mouth frowned in anger, "So I see you finally skipped to another body, eh?" Kagimaru blinked in confusion, his expression a sheer blank slate as the Cat continued, "I thought I was gonna meet the kid's friend that the elder has talked all kinds of good about but here I find a snake in the grass." The Cat slowly approached the bed, its paw reaching behind its back and gripping the handle of his sword, "Mighty fine opportunity I find myself with here I have to say. Let's see how many chunks I can get this body into before you go jumping around again." Kagimaru's heart rate exploded, his eyes opening wide as the swords steel caught the sharp glare of sun.

"No."

Before either could register movement Tao was between the Cat and Kagimaru, her arms outstretched far to her sides in a completely covering protective maneuver. The Cat paused in its approach, "Get out of the way kid, you're just gonna get hurt." Tao frowned deeply, her muscles tensing as she gave her single word reply, "No." The Cats voice grew agitated as it spoke next, "Kid don't you know what that is?" Tao's head turned until she caught Kagimaru's azure gaze out of the corner of her eye, a slight smile forming on her lips as she turned back to the Cat. Her head nodded sharply as she spoke with a grin, "Tao knows who that is, it's Heart Guy and if Cat Person wants to play mean with Heart Guy," the hollow shunk of metal announced Tao's claws as they sprang from their sheathes, "Tao will just have to play mean with Cat Person."

Tao's crimson eyes bore into the Cat's own stare, a small flash from the deep crimson orbs giving the Cat enough of a shock to cause him to be taken aback. Yet, in seconds the Cat let loose a bright smile, its paw sliding the sword back into the sheath as he chuckled, "Ah kid, you never stop amazing this old man." Tao's claws instantly retracted and she bounced happily in place, turning to Kagimaru with her infectious smile already in place. Kagimaru did his best to return the smile, only able to get about half strength before a massive yellow paw was thrust into his face, "How do yah do kid? What's yer name?" Kagimaru blinked in confusion but accepted the clawless paw tentatively, "Kagimaru." The Cat vigorously shook Kagimaru's hand before pulling back with a calm grin, "Nice to meet yah Kagimaru, the name's Jubei."

"J-Jubei? Six heroes Jubei?" Kagimaru said in obvious surprise, sheer astonishment being the only true feeling at being able to meet one of the six heroes. Jubei nodded and crossed his arms over his chest, his expression held in a perfect calm as he spoke, "Yep, that's me. Look, sorry about the whole attacking business. I guess I've got you mixed up with someone else if yah know what I mean." "Y-yeah..." Kagimaru said with obvious apprehension, his nerves already shot and the stress from the combined daily events getting to his injured body. "I hear from the elder that you've been doin some good for this village," Jubei said with a small smile as Kagimaru nodded mutely. "I just wanted to thank yah, not many people up there in the sun like this little village and it's a darn shame," Jubei said with a sigh as he crossed his sleeved arms, "but no accountin for taste or intelligence I suppose."

Suddenly Jubei's mouth split into a smirk as his single eye gave Kagimaru a knowing look, "So boy, I've been hearing that not only have you been doin some good for this village but I also hear you've been treaten a certain young thing to plenty of good times." Kagimaru could only blush a deep crimson to Jubei's comment, the older cat's smirk growing to a magnitude that matched Tao's playful grins. For her part Tao's eyes narrowed a bit, her mind racing quickly as she thought, 'who else is Heart Guy playing with? Could it be Booby Lady? Fukaka? If he's been playing with someone other than Tao...Tao is gonna kill him.'

With each thought Tao's temper came to rise...Fukaka and Kagimaru curled up in the sun together...Booby lady and Kagimaru hugging each other tight and smiling brightly...it made Tao's blood boil. Tao's ears lay back against her skull and her tail puffed out to its maximum, her agitation being broadcast quite loudly to the only other occupants in the room. "Tao?" Kagimaru ventured, his voice concerned at Tao's sudden change in demeanor.

With her name being called Tao snapped around to face the voice, her narrow gaze finding Kagimaru as her agitated voice growled out, "What?" Kagimaru blinked in surprise, Tao had never spoke to him with such anger before and it caused a well of worry to spring up in his gut, "are you okay?" Tao quickly crossed her arms in a huff, turning away from Kagimaru sharply, "Tao is fine, Heart Guy looks like he's fine too so Tao is going to get something to eat, nya." Kagimaru, for the second time in the day, attempted to stand as he spoke, "Hold on Tao, let me come with."

Before he could even begin to stand Kagimaru found himself pushed down onto the cot by a single paw, Jubei's arm pressing him back down as he spoke, "I wouldn't be doin something like that kid. I think that little lady's just a might angry at yah." Kagimaru blinked, "What? What could I have done?" Jubei shrugged and released Kagimaru, "I don't rightly know but this gives me a pretty nice opportunity now doesn't it?" Jubei focused his eyes on Kagimaru, his tone turning deadly serious as he spoke, "I don't know what it is about you kid but you feel like someone I know who I tried to kill quite some time ago. You have the same kind of aura around you, I can't quite put my finger on it but all I can say is, be careful. I might know the village elder enough to trust her word but other folks won't give you that kind of chance or trust tah prove who you are." Kagimaru could only nod in understanding, his brain nearly going haywire knowing that there was a chance he was being targeted.

"Well kid," Jubei said with a smirk, "sorry for scarin yah but I thought you might need tah know. I'll be headin out but before I go I have one thing tah tell yah." Kagimaru waited as Jubei grinned in an amused style, "You better treat that little lady right you understand? She's very special to this village and should something happen to her, I'm pretty certain something would happen to you too." Jubei gave Kagimaru a wink before he turned, leaving the frightened and confused man laying alone in his hospital room...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~_Spatial Rend_~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It started with a rattle, the shivering of a ghostly white among the omnipotent darkness of the deepest trenches of Kagatsuchi. The hollow echo shattered the thick silence, a bleak landscape rousing to the uneven tune of rattled bone. The source of this rattle was a white ghost like mask, a simple covering of ivory white which had once masked an amorphous blob of ink black. Slowly, the rattling began to echo with increasing speed across the cavernous underground, the metal columns offering acoustic vibrations as the silence shattering shaking reached an eerie crescendo.

With a sudden snap of invisible line the mask hovered, its pale visage suspended upon a transparent string, simply hanging in a disturbing silent sway. Gradually shadows began to rouse from the rubble of the underground, thick swaths of ravenesque darkness slithering from their hiding places and toward the hovering effigy. In moments the mask was once more suspended upon its intended body, the writhing and amorphous mass that was known as Arakune. The creature slowly stretched it's body, testing it's boundaries as it was once more born into the world. Yet, despite the sudden revival of his once destroyed corporeal form Arakune's body appeared a bit smaller than its previous incarnation, the raven cloak of insects and nightmare shrinking into a child sized blob of jagged edges and shattered speech.

"Dam...poi...disr...mol...ture...dam...damn damn damn damn!" Arakune began to bob its amorphous head, an erratic rhythm that sent the ghostly white mask to flail amongst the inky black. The beast continued to flail in the silence of the underground, its scratched and haggard voice shouting out into space, "How...et...po...efeat...im...ust...vour...gre...poi...pois...poison!" With what seemed to be great effort Arakune began to slink along the ground, its body reaching, wanting to strive toward the bright chartreuse gleam that hung on the edge of it colored vision. It could feel the man that had depraved it of its meal, the monster who bled that vile green poison...

With a sudden crash Arakune's concentration was shattered, its body cluttering to the ground in a mass of writhing black skin and body. In its rush to turn around Arakune formed a sudden twister of shadowed nothingness, its pale masked face sensing the deep bloody crimson that seemed to dwarf any presence he had felt before. To many the darkness of the underground would have concealed the intruder, their light based sight vanishing within a few feet of the underground darkness. Arakune however could see it perfectly, its formless eyes staring at the atrocious and vile blood red man who ever so calmly approached...someone the monster recognized...a striking form that shadowed its broken memories.

All at once the beast began to shiver, it's black skin shifting in thousands of innumerable ways as it's impossible core pulled away from the intruder, "You...you...you you you you you!" The person slowly began to approach the creature, solid steps drawing a towering figure towards the ragged and weakened beast, "So...this is what you finally became." Arakune snarled at the person, a thick cloud of sickly purple attempting to shield it from the encroaching man, each solid step seeming to thunder in the monsters mind. "A failure like so many others," the person nodded solemnly as he drew ever closer, "but data none the less."

Arakune could feel the vile energy the man produced, the putrid feeling that caused even Arakune to become nauseous with disgust. It was smarter to run, far easier to conjure a teleportation circle and vanish without a trace. Yet, with a burst of realization the memories returned, memories of research gone awry, of architects of incomparable power, of the deadly sin they had unleashed, it was all too much. With a sudden lurch Arakune leapt for the man, it's instincts to fight and devour guiding its slow and weakened actions. However, just seconds before the monster met the man with opened maw a massive shadow appeared in the distance, a large crimson claw grasping from the shifting midnight and clamping its barbed grip around the monsters face. The beast writhed and twitched in the metal clutch, a horrid screech howling from the beast's very soul.

"Come Ignis," the man spoke, his calm voice holding an authority and strength that caused the formless monster to shake at its very core, "I have plans and they must not be interrupted." With that the man vanished, stepping once more into the amorphous metal structures below Kagatsuchi; the metal claw holding the screaming creature following without pause.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~**_END_**~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Heh, heh, heh, and the world turns even darker. Thank you for reading and please, do review. Have a good one now!


	8. History

Wow...well now, isn't this awkward? I've been gone so long that I'm certain everyone has forgotten about this story...wow, how bitter is that? In any case, I want to apologize for my lateness, from a combination of stress and lack of time I haven't been able to create anything in quite some time. However, since I was able to meet up with another fan fiction author at the recent Youmacon, (Zhanael *cough cough* shameless plug for an awesome writer) I gained the inspiration and pursuit to break everything down and write the next chapter of Tao and the Art of Love! I hope you enjoy this chapter...granted one of the characters is slightly tweaked but it will be explained in later chapters, I do have a plan and it will flow together pretty well...hopefully. Well enough of my speeches, please enjoy this new chapter and remember to review!

Please read, review, and most of all enjoy!

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing

_Chapter 8: History  
_

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~**_REBEL 8: START_**~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

For what felt like an eternity Kagimaru lay in the room by himself, his mind wanting to chase after the storming Tao but his body not responding. The furthest he could get was a feeble attempt to stand, his legs turning to useless jelly the moment he put any weight upon them. For a moment he was lost, whenever he had been hurt in the past he was left alone with no problem. He had been given cuts, broken bones, and various other injuries from the bounties he hunted and all of those times he had been alone, only seeking medical attention when his life was in danger. His road to these many recoveries was lonely and quiet, never once did he mind this process...until now.

Alone felt like a poison, a disease that aimed to eat him from the inside out while his body was weakened from his extreme exhaustion. He felt he would do anything to see Doctor Litchi again, her soft reassuring voice keeping him calm and urging him to get healthy. He would accept the words of the village elder, her cryptic but interesting words of wisdom and advice catching him off guard and keeping his mind occupied for hours on end. But most of all, he wanted Tao. Her energy, her lively spark, could chase away any loneliness even if it was in favor of annoyance. No one could say that they felt lonely while around Tao, even when she was silent and napping her presence was warm and fulfilling. He desired that, to hear her cheery voice and feel her energetic attitude...

"Excuse me..."

Kagimaru was rocked from his thoughts as he turned to the doorway of his small temporary domicile, his vision encountering another of the Kaka clan whom leaned heavily on the doorway for support. This Kaka was larger than Tao, her height about a head taller and her body overall seeming a size larger than the young Kaka he knew. Her coat was a darkened ash black with pumpkin orange trim and zipper, her crimson eyes were wide and expressive in the darkness of her hood while her light orange hair flowed from the back of her hood in a mane of untamed pigtailed spikes.

This Kaka was obviously exhausted, her coat had the tell tail signs of a fight while she huffed, her form doing everything it could to catch up on the oxygen she had lost. Her heavy paws laid upon the bare wood of the door frame as she panted in exertion, her long orange tiger striped tail whipping back and forth in annoyance, "Did you see a big ball of fluff in a beige coat run through here? Probably looking for someone called Heart Guy?" Kagimaru chuckled softly, his throat feeling dry and rough as he spoke, "Yeah...she came in here looking for me but she already left." For a moment the Kaka froze, her heaving body seeming to even refuse breath as she stared at Kagimaru.

However, it was only seconds before the Kaka gave him an enthusiastic grin, racing for his bed and gripping his hand tightly, "So you're Heart Guy huh? Tao has told me a lot about you!" To say Kagimaru was confused would be an understatement, he had been thrown for a loop so far that the only intelligent statement that he could form was "Wha?" The Kaka instantly smirked, letting go of Kagimaru's hand and standing tall and proud, "The name is Torakaka, big sister to Tao and all of the kittens in this village."

Kagimaru could only stare in complete confusion, his eyes never fully gaining the spark of comprehension that Tora had hoped he would get. "Uh...you do know about me right?" Tora asked, her paw tentatively touching her chin in concern. Kagimaru shook his head while Tora blinked, "Tao hasn't mentioned me...even once?" Kagimaru shook his head again causing Tora to drop her head in defeat, her sigh loud and frustrated as she mumbled to herself, "Tao...I thought you would at least make a mention of me. I mean I..."

Kagimaru couldn't help but stare, this Kaka was so very similar to Tao but at the same time, she wasn't. She was very similar to Tao in her ranting, her frustration and emotions being presented very close to the surface. However, by her hushed voice and attempt at restraint it was obvious that this Tora was much more mentally mature than Tao. Her way of speech was much more elegant than Tao's, and intelligence in her voice that Kagimaru found to be incredibly charming. Coupling that with Tora's subtle physical differences as well as similarities with the younger Kaka, he had to wonder about how close Tao and this Tora really were.

Kagimaru coughed softly, catching Tora's attention as he spoke, "Are you really Tao's older sister?" Tora ceased her rant of Tao, instead facing Kagimaru with a sigh and her paws on her cocked hips, "In a way I suppose that I am an older sister to all of the Kaka kittens in the village. I was the protector before Tao and for a short while I was the one who mentored her in the art of battle. I also protect the little ones to make sure they do not get lost or are killed." Suddenly a sad smile broke across Tora's face, a sorrowful smirk as she continued, "Tao is the guardian who took my place after I removed myself from the position. Even though she was just a kitten, I taught her what I knew before the Cat Person requested to teach her personally."

"Wait," Kagimaru interrupted, his head cocking to the side as he thought for a moment, "I thought Fukaka was supposed to be the next in line for guardian." Tora shrugged, "Oh she was but...for some reason the Elder wanted Tao to pick up the mantle. I'm not sure why really but when Tao's mother first showed off Tao to the Elder she wanted Tao to be the guardian right then and there...if I remember right the Elder said something about there being something different about Tao than the rest of the Kaka." Kagimaru couldn't help but chuckle slight, gazing off to the side and out the window by the bed, "Tao is certainly different alright, I've never met anyone who can make a hyperactive kid look lazy until I met her." For a moment there was only silence between the two, Kagimaru looking out the window as Tora seemed to stare off into no where, her tail gently flickering behind her as thoughts raced through her head.

"Tao wasn't always like this you know," Tora spoke, her voice smooth and relaxed despite the gravity of the statement. Kagimaru nodded, he had always had a feeling that Tao wasn't always the hyperactive and bouncy Kaka that he had known. It was especially evident in the moments leading up to her fight with Fukaka, Tao seemed so much sadder...so full of worry and pain that it made Kagimaru think there was much more to Taokaka than he could see on the surface. Kagimaru slowly turned back to Tora, is eyes full of curiosity and to a small level worry as he asked, "What...was Tao like?" Tora's eyes betrayed no emotion, only her tail gave off a sense of trepidation as she started to speak, "Tao was...really sad."

Kagimaru's face went directly to confused, Tora continuing her speech as her body language showed her discomfort with every passing second, "For a while Tao was lonely, like most of the Kaka here she only had a mother and no father and since her mother was part of the hunting parties Tao was left alone a lot of the time. But...after the Ikaruga War Tao went off with her training with Cat Person and she grew further and further apart from the rest of the Kaka around here." From the darkness of her hood Tora's gleaming frown was evident, her tail slightly slumped as she continued her thoughts, "Tao was still training when Arakune started to appear and abduct the Kaka from the village. As the previous village guardian I tried my best but not even our strongest warriors were able to stop it. Many warriors died in sneak attacks the black creature launched on us, one of them being...well Tao's mother."

Kagimaru felt his heart jump into his throat, his breath taken away by this sudden revelation. Tora however was unfazed by this information, instead ignoring Kagimaru's surprised reaction in favor of continuing her tale, "Tao only found out a few weeks later when she took a break from training to visit the village...I think the elder was as heart broken to tell her as Tao was to hear it." It was at that tense moment that Kagimaru broke his silence, softly speaking up, "What happened to Tao?"

"Tao, for lack of a better term, shut down for a while after that, merely living without really feeling anything," Tora responded with a forlorn sigh as she shifted her weight back and forth on her angled boots, "for a very long time Tao just stayed away from the village as well, training with Jubei and Fukaka without seeing anyone in the village. She even continued to learn under Cat Person's tutoring even long after Fukaka had completed her own training."

"But how did Tao-" Kagimaru began but Tora gave him a short shrug, "No one is really sure about that. Fu left before Tao finished her training and even then Tao was still acting like a Kaka with a dead soul. I'm guessing Cat Person is the only one alive who knows what happened with Tao but whatever did happen, when Tao came back she was the happy and hyperactive kitten that she is now."

The gravity of Tao's past seemed the add a layer to the tense atmosphere, an invisible sediment of miasma that bore down upon Kagimaru with an oppressive pressure. However, just as the gravity seemed to be too much Tora began to laugh, a quiet chuckle breaking past her suddenly grinning lips. Kagimaru's gaze snapped up to face the older Kaka, confusion and a vague sense of anger in his gaze. Just she had since the beginning of their conversation Tora seemed to read Kagimaru's mind, her grin growing brighter as she spoke, "But I think that Tao's been getting better lately."

Kagimaru blinked, "Better? She seems like the same Tao I've known since I've met her." Tora giggled and shook her head, "It's true that Tao is still a kitten yet, she has started to act with a bit more thought. Tao has actually started to think things through before she does them, she's starting to turn into the old Tao I knew before Arakune...but happier." In flashes Kagimaru thought back to the battles he took part in with Tao by his side. She was always fast, an instinctual use of unorthodox and unique maneuvers causing the opponent to question every move she made. Yet, as time went on she was much more fluid, sure, and cunning in her battle plans. Every spar they had she was more clever, with each race she was more intelligent in her tactics, every conversation was a little less stream of consciousness and a bit more interesting.

Kagimaru would have expressed some sort of joy, a relieved sigh or something of that nature that would show his sudden revelation about Tao's behavior. That was what would have happened had Tora not suddenly pounced on him and started to give him a massive paw noogie, "And I wonder who's fault that is nya!" If Kagimaru's head wasn't swallowed by Tora's jacket he would have contemplated how Tora sounded so much like Tao at that moment, even her use of 'nya' was reminiscent of Tao. However, that was all drowned out while his head was rubbed unmercifully by Tora's massive paw, "You little charmer you! You must be one very special guy to get Tao to act like that."

Like that Tora was off, her chattering almost as bad as Tao at her very worst. Meanwhile, Kagimaru stewed in his aggrivated concern, every so often wondering what happened to Tao inbetween fighting for breath and trying to beg Tora to stop...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~_Spacial Rend_~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"I was wondering where you went Tao, it's not nice to run off like that you know."

"I don't care, nya!"

"If you ask me, I think you care plenty little lady."

The voice was soft but deep, a fatherly tone gently dragged against sandpaper before floating into the open air. The body of the speaker was short and stout, a bright yellow jacket covering nearly every bit of skin, or in this case fur, while a cloak of silent strength surrounded the lone creature. Along it's back was a pair of blades, two handles sprouting from two ends of the same sheath, both with a muted sense of power, of an incredible and unspeakable past. The speaker was none other than the legendary One-eyed Lotus Jubei, his calmly smiling face watching his target, Taokaka the guardian of Kaka village, as she huffed and slouched even further into her seat at the Lost Villages one and only meat bun stand.

"I don't care about Heart Guy at all," Tao pouted, viciously biting into a meat bun as if it were a miniature Kagimaru in her paw. Jubei flinched for a moment but simply shrugged off the imagery. Instead Jubei calmly entered the establishment and hopped up onto the stool next to Taokaka, his body far shorter than hers despite the even sitting surface, "Okay kid, I'm not gonna argue with you about whether or not you care about the fella back in the infirmary...but I am gonna bother you about why you suddenly decided to up and run out like yah did." This time it was Tao's turn to flinch at the others words, her ravenous appetite being interrupted by the fresh memories.

Tao suddenly began to growl, her paw clenching over a perfectly edible meat bun without enough force to pop it, it's steaming center splattering across the polished wooden counter as Tao hissed, "Heart Guy is meow-ean, that's why." At this admittance Jubei was more than slightly confused, a single eyebrow raising with his expressed emotion, "Meow-en...mean? Tao, the kid looks like he's anythin' but mean. Not to mention that when I got there yah were willin to go toe to toe with me over protecting him." Tao gave Jubei a dismissive snort, her head turning away from him as she picked up another meat bun and savagely devoured it. "So tell me kid, what happened between when I got there to when you stormed out that twisted yer tail in a knot?"

"Cause..." Tao muttered, her mouth full of meat bun and preparing to shove another into it, "Heart Guy's been playing with someone else."

Jubei was caught off guard, nearly thrown for a loop in a comical fashion, before he responded, "playin' with someone else? What do yah mean kid?" Tao turned her head indignantly as she swallowed her mouthful of meat bun, "Cat Person said it himself. He's been "treatin' a pretty young thing to plenty of good times," right?" For a while Jubei only stared at Tao, his single visible eye giving her a look of confusion and to a point disbelief as she continued to swirl with malevolent energy. Yet, with a sudden snort Jubei burst out in a peal of laughter, his mouth open wide as his paws clutched his stomach in pain. His voice was loud and clear, a deep throaty laughter echoing off nearby buildings with an almost unstoppable force that caused several Kaka to perk their ears in his direction.

For her part, Tao was instantly angry at the laughing. Cat person was the one who suggested that Heart Guy was playing with someone else so surely he would understand why Tao was so angry. "Cat Person!" Tao shouted in anger, the fur on her tail standing on end with aggravation, "This isn't funny, nya!" Despite the angered hiss in Tao's voice Jubei continued to laugh, his pearly teeth clenched shut as he attempted to stifle his howling. Gradually Jubei's laughter slowed, his mirth slowing to a soft chuckle and a gentle wipe of his teary eye. When his focus finally came upon Tao once more he found himself at the end of a rather potent death glare, Tao's crimson eyes shimmering with dark thoughts from beneath the shadow of her hood. This silent threat went wholly ignored by Jubei, instead smiling in response, "ah kid, yah still don't know a thing do you?" Tao's glare remained but her voice held a tone of confusion in it, her hiss combined with her natural curiosity as she spoke, "Nya? What does Cat Person mean?"

Jubei chuckled quietly, "I was talkin about you kid."

Tao's glare instantly vanished, her expression becoming a clueless blank as she responded, "Huh?" Jubei nodded and crossed his arms, "I've been talkin to the Elder and she's been tellin me you've been as happy as a clam kid, happiest she's seen you in years, and she thinks it's been because of that Kagimaru who you've been hangin around." "S-so..." Tao softly muttered, a single paw coming up to her chin as she spoke, "Heart Guy's been spending his time with Tao? Not Fukaka...not Boobie-lady...only Tao?" Jubei responded with a slow nod, his smile so wide his eyes were mere slits over his furry cheeks, "Yep, that's what I meant back at the infirmary Tao." Instantly Tao was back on her feet, her body primed for an all out sprint back to where Kagimaru was resting...

Yet, just as she prepared to spring off with the speed of light a sudden force pulled her back, drawing her into the stand and placing her back onto her seat roughly. Tao, her senses drenched in confusion, turned to find Jubei with his paw on her hood, his eye no longer full of mirth but rather a serious strength behind the slit stare, "Whoa now Tao, you and I still need to talk." Tao's face must have been the essence of confusion, her simple look bringing Jubei to sigh and release Tao with the words, "We need to talk about why yeh acted the way you did."

Tao blinked in confusion, her oblivious nature completely missing the serious nature of the conversation as well as Jubei's firm tone, "What do you meow-ean Cat Person?" "I know you pretty well by now Taokaka," Jubei spoke with a gentle tone, an almost fatherly voice that he had rarely remembered using in his long life, "You learned how tah be a top notch guardian from Torakaka and myself, that's a lot of time don't yah think?" Tao's confusion was obvious as Jubei sat her back in her seat with a single paw. Yet, Jubei continued in his slow drawl, keeping his eye trained on Tao with a subdued concern, "I remember what happens when people close to you go off and never come back..."

With those words Tao stiffened, her body feeling a powerful shock travel from the tips of her ears to her shivering tail. Her deep crimson eyes seemed to glaze over, their luminance stare reaching far off into an unknown horizon as she thought back to the years before, to a time she hadn't ever given a second thought. As her thoughts began to travel, oh so rarely visiting a long lost past, Jubei caught her attention with a slight sigh. "I don't think I'll ever want to see that Taokaka ever again," Jubei chuckled deeply, his unease meshed with a nervous amusement, "I just want to make sure yer okay..."

Suddenly Tao jumped up with a smile, her sudden rise knocking down her stool as her teeth gleaming brightly with paws clenched tight. Tao seemed to gleam with the same light that had surrounded her for days, a nearly glowing energy as she spoke with concrete confidence, "Tao has no idea what Cat Person is talking about!" Jubei's forehead instantly developed a sharp tic, Tao's ridiculous declaration grating his nerves in more ways than one. Yet, just as he felt the urge to cover his head in shame become too much Tao continued, "But Tao would never think that about Heart Guy, nya! He's always been there for Tao and Tao will always be there for him! Tao promises this, and Tao never forgets this kind of promise!"

This caused Jubei's lips to pull up into a small smile, his single slit-pupiled eye watching as Tao vanished in a blur of hyperactive speed, "...God help that boy, he's never gonna shake her off his tail now."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~**END**~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

So what do you think? I know it's short, it's what I could do in my short time limit here, but it's the best I've got. I hope you liked the little spin I gave to Tora, she always struck me as a clever and serious character with a funny side that is hidden for a great amount of the time. In any case, I hope you enjoyed both the story and my interpretation of Taokaka's back story! Please review and have a nice day.


	9. Growing Pains

Well isn't this a big surprise? Me updating in a week? With a double length chapter? I do believe that the apocalypse has come early. All joking aside I found some extra time this week to tool around with Tao and before I knew it I had successfully created a double length chapter that should satisfy those who want comedy, romance, and drama all in the same place at the same time. But as usual I have begun to ramble on so please, I hope you enjoy this next chapter of Tao and the Art of Love. Please review but most of all please have a good time!

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing

_Chapter 9: Growing Pains_

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~**_REBEL 9: START_**~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Would I like to what?"

"I asked if you would care to join me for a little mission Kagimaru, a gathering of some of the local herbs and plant life for an old friend of mine."

"Sure, I guess I-"

"Tao is coming too!"

If one were to ask Kagimaru he would say that the past few weeks had been rather interesting to say the least.

It all began with a bang when Tao came back to the infirmary hours after storming out, her heavy paw slamming the door with an ear shattering smash and her eyes landing upon a very interesting scene. Torakaka, lost in her incredibly uncharacteristic gushing, had grabbed hold of Kagimaru despite his injuries and had pressed him face first into her chest, being completely unaware of his pleas for breath as well as his sense of decency. Later she would blame her over exuberance on the extra strong catnip bath she had taken earlier, or perhaps it was the oddly flavored fish that she ate for breakfast. In any case Kagimaru was quickly losing oxygen and permanent bone structure the longer Tora embraced him. However in the midst of her crushing grip Kagimaru found a slight second to turn, his back now facing Tora as he gasped for air.

At first Kagimaru was thankful that he had been able to turn around in Tora's grasp, his face no longer drowning in Tora's jacketed cleavage and thus allowing him a considerable amount of breathing room despite her iron grip around his chest. However, the moment the door was thrown open to the huffing and puffing Tao, Kagimaru felt a red hot flush flood his cheeks as his mind was engulfed in the turmoil of hope over despair. Either Tao would save him from potential suffocation and worsening injuries or she would murder him for the easily mistakable position that he was in.

In a blur of tan Kagimaru found himself in a completely different yet eerily similar situation he had been just a few moments ago, buried face first into a very soft and warm jacket while a pair of arms wrapped around him tightly. Sure enough, Tao had not only embraced Kagimaru and began to apologize for being, as she put it, a 'meanie' but Tao had been caught up in her apologies that she neglected to tear the still gushing Tora off of Kagimaru first. While Tora's arms continued to crush Kagimaru's sore ribs from behind Tao buried his head into her jacket, his face falling directly in line with her chest as she enthusiastically asked for forgiveness. It was only a matter of time before Kagimaru felt darkness begin to leak into his vision, his consciousness leaving him as the grip of sleep enveloped his entirety.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Spatial Rend Roar of Time~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Much later Kagimaru awoke with a jolt, his entire body jumping back to the world of the living as he cast a quick glance around. It was easy to deduce that nightfall had come to pass; the room was a deep inky black showing that even in the very depths of Kagatsuchi the cycle of day and night continued to rule above one and all. Yet, it was the second thing he felt that would affect much more of his situation than the time of day. What he felt was a weight, a heavy and warm object that was laying across his body in a rather haphazard and sprawled way. It only took a few minutes and a purring snore that told the tale of what was on him, it was Taokaka no doubt about it.

Kagimaru chuckled warmly amidst the shadows of the room, his head shaking slightly as he gently reached out for the slumbering Kaka. With a light touch Kagimaru felt the thick fabric of Tao's jacket, the slightly ragged material giving way to the gentle press of Kagimaru's fingers. Beneath the coat Kagimaru could feel Tao's body, her otherwise unnatural biology prompting her internal workings to produce heat at a much higher rate than a normal human being. It was something that had first confused Kagimaru, a hug from Tao routinely causing him to over heat from her warmth prompting him to ask Litchi about the cause.

After being given information about Kaka biology by Dr. Litchi, Kagimaru had come to understand and expect the heat that radiated from Tao, her temperature normally rising to levels that Kagimaru would believe to be a severe illness. Yet, in a way Kagimaru could understand Tao's radiance, her energy and personality easily reflecting this unique phenomenon. A solar flare personified and given cat ears and a tail, it was enough to cause a warm smile and a soft chuckle from the still wounded man.

It was this innocent Kaka that he had fought the monster Arakune to defend; this was the warm little spark in his life that he had met only on a wonderful and incredibly lucky chance. This insane, naive, ridiculous, beautiful, and utterly enthralling girl had definitely caught his attention and, as Dr. Litchi had joked with him not too long ago, his heart as well. His smile brightened and heat flooded from his chest to his face, a blush burning bright in the shadows of the night as he gently started to cradle the energetic Tao closer...

"Nya..." the soft voice startled Kagimaru, his hand pulling away from Tao as if she were made of molten steel. As Kagimaru removed his limb Tao started to move, her gleaming crimson eyes never once opening as she pulled the rest of her body onto the bed, her lithe yet slothful movements moving her into a much more comfortable configuration. This preferred position was beside Kagimaru, both of her arms draped over Kagimaru as she curled in close to his body, her purring snore returning as a brilliant grin broke out across her face. For a slight moment Kagimaru felt at peace, a small smile spreading across his lips as Tao snuggled in closer to his warmth.

"Nya...if Heart Guy wanted to touch Tao's boobies...Heart Guy could have asked..."

Kagimaru's eyes shot wide open while Tao's remained closed, a sleepy grin beaming from beneath her coat as Tao returned to her soft purring snore. This left Kagimaru alone in the room with silence, his hand tingling as it remembered the sensation of touching Tao in the dark...the soft, supple, jacket-covered body of Tao. Even in the dark Kagimaru's face flushed with hot embarrassment as he lay back down and strived for sleep once more.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~_Spatial Rend_ **Roar of Time**~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

For the following six days Kagimaru remained bedridden, his muscles and energy returning to him with a sloth like speed. For some mysterious reason his body acted as if it were missing something, as if there was a deficiency of some nutrient that allowed him to regenerate his stamina with the incredible speed it had from before. Yet, despite this handicap Kagimaru was not depressed about his condition, in fact there were many times when he forgot he was still recovering from his injuries and exhaustion.

It should also go without saying that most of this distraction was due to Taokaka, her effervescent personality and cheerful conversation pulling Kagimaru from whatever loneliness he could possibly have as he recovered. Taokakas constant pounces and near need to be in contact with Kagimaru also meant that Kagimaru rarely went lonely while he recovered. It was quite common for Tao to wake Kagimaru in the morning with a rather powerful surprise pounce, her grinning face nearly pressing against his own as she grinningly greeted, "Good morning Heart Guy!" This would be followed by Kagimaru's cough and stutter, his lungs attempting to pull in enough air to reciprocate the greeting.

After this Tao and Kagimaru would talk, Tao going on and on about what they were going to do when Kagimaru could get up and move normally again while Kagimaru would simply nod and listen along. Every so often Tora would show up, regarding Kagimaru apologetically when she remembered her unintentionally overzealous actions upon their first meeting. However, the air of formality and guilt would clear and all three would talk in earnest, Tao constantly fidgeting and moving while Kagimaru and Tora calmly sat and spoke.

When she could stand the calm no longer Tao would take off like a shot, rushing out of the room in an attempt to expend her energy by running around the Kaka village and Kagatsuchi. These trips would usually end up with Tao returning bearing two armfuls of steamed meat buns and an interesting story or two, one of which prompting Kagimaru to give Tao money to pay for their meat buns the next time she retrieved the food. After their impromptu meal Tao would find a comfy spot to curl up, most of the time that spot being next to Kagimaru, and take one of her patented cat naps. It would be about this time that Tora would leave and Kagimaru would let his own exhaustion sink in, his head falling back onto his pillow and falling into a deep sleep that he would not wake from until the next morning.

Those days were always calm and peaceful, no worries about something hunting the Kaka, no thoughts of fights or fugitives, there was only peace for Kagimaru and Taokaka...well as much peace as one could have with Taokaka around...

Yet as all things pass with time Kagimaru gradually regained his strength, his body rebuilding nearly all of his lost energy within a two week period allowing him to finally leave the improvised infirmary room. Though while he was mostly healed there was little difference when it came to Tao's adherence to him. It seemed as if she was becoming possessive of the blue eyed brunette, her desire to be in his presence almost as attractive as the thought of food to the young Kaka.

At times it would become a bit ridiculous and confusing to Kagimaru, Tao's insistence to stick next to him stretching beyond normal concern over whether or not he had fully recovered from his injuries. She would hang around with him while they ate, when he went for a walk, she would even insist one being around when his wounds were examined, watching with a surprisingly attentive eye especially when the large scar like wound on his back was exposed. There was little Kagimaru could do about this particular presence either, unlike before there was no longer the buffer of Dr. Litchi to protect his medical modesty. In fact, Litchi had vanished the day of Kagimaru's awakening leaving only a confused and distraught Linuah that knew of his condition from Litchi's notes and the basics of treating him. Due to this there wasn't anyone to stop Tao when Kagimaru went for a check up with the young doctor's apprentice.

Tao had also placed a level of protectiveness around Kagimaru that, while a bit flattering, wore on Kagimaru's nerves more often than not. The most extreme of which being when Kagimaru was wrestling with the Kaka kittens on a random visit to the Kaka village, the smallest members of the Kaka clan clambering all over him in an attempt to tackle him to the ground. For quite some time the kittens tried to beat the older and stronger Kagimaru, their combined strength almost winning out against the laughing man.

Yet, before the little kittens could finally topple the azure eyed man a sudden force slammed into Kagimaru from the side, his entire body flailing wildly before landing on the ground with a sudden thud. When Kagimaru looked again there was Tao, her bright smiling face almost touching his own and all of the little Kaka kittens scattered around from the sheer power of the impact. Tao had claimed that she was only playing with the kittens and Kagimaru but as she nuzzled up next to him and silently refused to let him get up to play the game again, Kagimaru began to wonder.

It was only a few weeks later that things took a radical turn between the two...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~_Spatial Rend_ **Roar of Time**~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Yes Tao, I'm sure that I'm fine," Kagimaru said with a sigh, his forcibly calm tone attempting to hide his growing irritation. With his palm covering his eyes and his fingers massaging his temples it was easy to read Kagimaru's current state of mind, easy for everyone except Taokaka of course. "Are you sure Heart Guy?" Tao asked, walking as closely to him as she could, "that bad guy really hit Heart Guy hard, nya!" Kagimaru resisted the instinct to touch the fresh wound on his cheek, the sore red mark reminding him of the unusually strong musculature of the criminal they had faced that late afternoon, "Yes, I am completely sure Tao." Despite his words Tao continued to stare at Kagimaru, her eyes glued to his face, completely clueless as to how Kagimaru had gotten the wound in the first place.

Kagimaru on the other hand remembered the battle vividly, especially the part when Tao was so focused on Kagimaru that she didn't see the bounty sneak up behind her with their fist cocked and ready. It was a quick decision by Kagimaru that let Tao get away with an unmarred skull but he was rewarded with a sore and bloody mouth as well as an overly concerned Kaka on his back. With a sigh he remembered the large bounty that they had gathered, the coins clinking against one another in his pocket as they walked back to the Kaka village; at least they had something to show for their fight.

"Well, well," a sudden voice spoke, a soft smoothness ringing a bell with both of the returning warriors, "it's quite a surprise running into you two out here." Calmly approaching them was Torakaka, the mature and intelligent mentor of Tao greeting the pair with a smile and a relaxed wave of her paw. Kagimaru returned the wave with a relieved smile, his joy at seeing Tora stemming from the novelty of a different personality to react with. Tao on the other hand grinned brightly, jumping up with her arms in the air as she enthusiastically shouted, "Torakaka!" With a graceful leap Tao pounced upon Tora, hugging her tightly as she spoke, "long time no see, meow!"

Tora giggled softly and returned Tao's embrace, "It's good to see you too Tao, how have you been?" "Tao's been real good," Tao said energetically, switching her embrace from Tora to one of Kagimaru's arms, "ever since Heart Guy got better we've been getting lots of meow-ny for the village!" Casting a glance to Kagimaru Tora could see the exasperation in his eyes as well as the bruise on his cheek, his emotions pressing close to the surface of her skin. Tora knew of Tao's recent attachment to Kagimaru, even if the Elder hadn't told her of the young Kaka's sudden change in behavior then she had experienced it when she had visited Kagimaru in the makeshift infirmary.

"Hello Kagimaru," Tora said with a smile, "How have you been feeling?" Kagimaru shrugged his shoulders with a nervous smile, part of his mind registering Tao's sudden nuzzling of his arm while the rest of his cognitive functions attempted to make decent conversation, "Thanks to the Elder and Linuah I'm back to being at 100% percent. Thank you again for visiting, it definitely helped seeing a friendly face." With a not so subtle tug on his arm Tao stared up at Kagimaru, her glowing scarlet eyes peering up at him almost begging for recognition. Glancing down for a moment a drop of sweat rolled down Kagimaru's forehead, his one free hand gently patting the top of Tao's head, "And I also had Tao with me every day so I'm sure that helped out plenty." Tao's eyes suddenly closed with a pleased grin, her head leaning on his arm while Kagimaru turned back to face Tora.

"Tora," Kagimaru began, his tone suddenly becoming deeply somber, "have you heard anything about Dr. Litchi?" In a way Tora knew this question was going to come up sooner or later but that didn't stop it from surprising her. Shortly after Kagimaru had been settled in the infirmary and Tora shook off the last few effects of her catnip craze the Elder asked Tora and a few other Kaka to find the Doctor, her sudden and hasty departure worrying the Elder as well as Kagimaru. Slowly registering the question Tora shook her head, her tone becoming one of condolence as she remembered the long chase that hunted the voluptuous doctor, "I'm sorry Kagimaru but we haven't. Some of our best trackers followed her trail to the underground where you fought Arakune but there was some disturbance that covered her tracks from going any further."

With her part spoken Tora watched as Tao looked back up at Kagimaru, her quizzical stare and flattened ears demonstrating her concern for the cerulean eyed man. In return Kagimaru simply smiled at Tao, gently patting her head as he returned Tora's comment with a slow nod, "Alright...thank you Tora." For a while the atmosphere was tense, a thick cloud of mystery and guilt hanging over the trio like an errant raincloud. However the atmosphere was broken by a sudden nudge by Tao, her bright smile slicing through the cloud as she spoke, "We'll find Boobie Lady Heart Guy, Tao knows that someone with as big and fluffy boobies as Boobie Lady can't get lost for long, nya!"

Kagimaru suddenly snorted, a laugh coming out with such force and surprise that he couldn't open his mouth in time. In response of this Tao's grin seemed to brighten, her arms holding tighter to the arm she had exclaimed, "See, Heart Guy is smiling already! Tao told mew!" Just as the little Kaka fluff ball had said Kagimaru was now smiling, an amused grin spreading across his lightly tinted cheeks. "Thanks Tao," Kagimaru said with his new smile, his one free arm pulling the young and admittedly sometimes annoying Kaka closer.

It was common knowledge to the entire Kaka village that as unobservant as Tao was, Tora was clever and intelligent. Tora had strength of mind and will that many compared to Jubei of the six heroes while her natural intelligence gave her a sharp insight into the world and the people who walked it. Because of this innate skill Tora had a rather handy ability to read peoples emotions and intentions like a book, her insight more than once providing her and her comrades with safe travel and winning strategies. However, this time Tora's skill was quickly put to another use, something she determined would play out rather interestingly.

"Ah yes," Tora suddenly spoke up, "Kagimaru, I have a question for you." Kagimaru's sight turned to Tora, a questioning aura surrounding him as he released the slightly blushing Tao with a nod, "Alright, what is it?" "I was wondering if you would like to go on a mission with me," Tora said with a calm smile, her abilities easily picking up Kagimaru confusion and Tao's sudden focus in attention. "Would I like to what?" Kagimaru asked his eyebrow quirked and a confused tone in his voice. Tora couldn't help but chuckle, "I asked if you would care to join me for a little mission Kagimaru, a gathering of some of the local herbs and plant life for an old friend of mine."

While Kagimaru considered the mission carefully Tao appeared almost apprehensive, a slightly worried look on her face as her tail swished nervously behind her, "Sure, I guess I-" Suddenly Tao interrupted Kagimaru, one of her paws shooting up to catch everyone's attention, "Tao is coming too!" Tora raised and eyebrow, looking at the younger Kaka member with a curious gaze, "Are you sure Tao? It is very slow and careful work, you have to be very precise and it is very tedious." For a moment Tao seemed to reconsider, the concept of work, boring work at that, almost making her double back on her statement. However, it only took a glance to her side before she curled her free paw into a determined fist, "Tao doesn't know what those words mean but Tao is ready for anything nya!"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~**Roar of Time**~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"So what is it that we are looking for?" Kagimaru asked with confusion, his wrists already deep within the foliage on the far edge of the Kaka village landscape. The area was very close to the edge of the seither forest, a short trek into the saturated woods potentially causing serious problems for those not resistant to its harmful effects. It had taken the group only a short time to reach the area where Tora had specified, her instinct and sense of smell drawing them to the area where she said the particular plants they were searching for grew. "We are looking for some very specific leaves, they will be growing on shrubs very close to the ground with a particular scent," Tora said, her voice showing her concentration as she knelt next to a small cluster of emerald shrubs, "It will smell a bit like medicine and the leaves will look very oily. Also look out for buds too, they should be rare around this time of year but they are a much appreciated bonus."

"Nya...this is reaaaaallllllyyyy boring," Tao muttered, her voice rising above both Toras and Kagimarus in volume and insistence, "Why do we have to do this a-nya-way?" Kagimaru shook his head as he plucked off a leaf, its oily emerald surface gleaming in the low light, "Tora needed help so we promised to lend a hand, remember Tao?" Tao sighed, her boredom apparent in her over enthused moan as she slumped over a large clump of cool underbrush, "But this is REEEEEEAAAAALLLLYYY boring!" Kagimaru groaned quietly, his fingers pinching the bridge of his nose as he calmly tried to sort through his shrub for desirable leaves, "We just have to deal with it for now Tao, we'll do something interesting later."

This satiating of Tao's energetic side was nothing new but Tao had been more bored and irritating than usual since they began their impromptu mission. At first it was simple things, innocent tics in her actions and behavior that clearly indicated her quiet frustration at the lack of energy being expended. Even during the short walk to their destination was punctuated by Tao's pulling of Kagimaru's arm, urging him to move faster and keep up with her slight hopping steps. However, the bouncing energy that Tao exhibited had only grown worse as time went on, the irritating insistence driving Kagimaru almost insane from Tao's constant movement. Perhaps he could finally understand why Dr. Litchi always claimed that Tao was a bigger handful than she appeared.

Suddenly Tao was up like a shot, her interest piqued as she spoke, "Nya? Does that mean Heart Guy will play with Tao later?" Kagimaru nodded all too quickly, his own malleable patience beginning to run paper thin, "Yes Tao, we'll spar later today, I promise." "Yay!" Tao called, her overabundant joy causing her to leap upon Kagimaru without even thinking about it. Like a coiled snake Tao reared back and let her form fly, her arms spread wide as she leapt towards the broad back of Kagimaru. Yet, due to her sudden leap Tao landed flat against Kagimaru's back, the full weight of the young Kaka driving Kagimaru's entire body lurching forward. With an ungraceful tumble Kagimaru quickly found his face buried into the shrub he was only moments ago examining.

With a sputtering cough Kagimaru pushed himself up from the foliage, his sudden movement throwing Tao off of his back into a surprised sprawl. Kagimaru emitted an aggravated groan before he went about scraping off the dirt and branches that had attached to his face, his skin slowly being cleared as Tora watched the interaction with interest. "Tao!" Kagimaru shouted, the uncharacteristic raising of his voice accentuating the frantic cleaning he was giving his face, "I said we'd spar later, not right now!" Tao was quick to roll into a crawling position, her arms and legs moving her around Kagimaru until she was by his side, "Tao is sorry Heart Guy, nya! Tao didn't mean too..."

Kagimaru drew one hand from his forehead to his chin, clearing a large swath of gunk from his face before clenching it tightly into a fist. A few seconds later he released his gripped fist, instead gritting his teeth as he sighed, "It's...alright Tao." Instantly Tao brightened, her arms wrapping around Kagimaru with a relieved giggle, "That's good, nya! Heart Guy should watch out and not fall like that anymore, he worried meow!"

Before Tao could react Kagimaru broke free of her loose embrace, his body quickly hopping to his feet before he began to walk away from the two Kaka warriors. "Heart Guy?" Tao asked with sudden concern, quickly moving to her feet as she started to follow, "Where are mew going?" Instantly Kagimaru had turned around, a single palm held up towards Tao in a stopping motion, "I'm going to go check around for more plants that we need." "Tao will go-" Tao cheerfully began but was cut short by Kagimaru, his clipped voice just a hair below a growling shout, "I'll check for it myself Tao, you stay here with Tora and try to get as many leaves as you can alright?"

For a moment it appeared as if Tao would protest, her ears perked up as she opened her mouth to speak. However one glance into Kagimaru's eyes cut her short, completely freezing her voice in her throat with the sharp look he sent her. His eyes were pulled tight into a simmering glare, the normally warm cerulean of his iris turning as cold as arctic ice from his frustrated anger. With her voice gone Tao simply nodded, her head bowing away from Kagimaru's gaze as her tail waved in a slow, saddened metronome. Seeing Tao's hurt response Kagimaru quickly turned his eyes from Tao only to find Tora staring directly at him, her impassive stare and Tao's reaction setting off an unsettling feeling within Kagimaru's gut. With a sharp shake of his head Kagimaru threw the sensation off, instead turning away and stalking off further into the dense plant life. In seconds Kagimaru's retreating back was nothing but a shadow in the forest and Tao was standing sullenly, her eyes still cast towards the ground as her ears lay against her head with sadness

Slowly Tao turned around to face Tora, her eyes never meeting the older Kaka as she settled down into a small patch of foliage nearby, lazily combing through the vibrant green shrubs for leaves which she would never pick. Instead, Tao's vivid crimson eyes were blank, her focus seeming to have escaped her to a place thousands of miles away. She mechanically swept the foliage around her feet, clawing bit by bit but never once seeing the oily emerald leaves or the small green buds, only a blank stare reaching far into the invisible distance. "Tao," a sudden voice spoke up, the smooth and enticing voice of Tora swiftly pulling Tao back from her temporary stupor, "are you alright Tao?"

Tao nodded slowly, a surprisingly fragile smile spreading across her features as she turned to face the concerned Tora, "Nya, Tao is fine Tora! You shouldn't worry so much...nya." Tora's look was obviously skeptical, a single eyebrow raised and her arms crossed with her tail twitched with concerned curiosity. Yet, while it was quite easy to see Tora's disbelief Tao, ever ignorant to subtlety, turned around to poke into the short shrubbery once again. Seeing as her first tactic failed to work Tora crouched behind Tao with a sigh, two of her paws pressing onto either of Tao's shoulders and pulling back with a gentle jerk. The sudden change of balance sent the younger Kaka tumbling back, Tao's lonely ravine broken by the surprise embrace.

In moments Tora and Tao were both on the ground, Tao with her back to Tora's chest as the elder Kaka wrapped Tao in a comforting embrace. One of Tora's limbs stretched from shoulder to shoulder across Tao's chest while the other bent upwards, Tora's own massive paw gently resting on the top of Tao's hooded head. "Mew?" Tao questioned, surprised evident in her face and voice as she spoke, "What's this?" Tora chuckled softly and hugged Tao tighter, "You don't remember Tao?" Tora laughed softly and much to Tao's surprise Tora began to purr, her body rumbling with a low vibration, a soothing sound that seemed to cloak Tao senses just as Tora's arms had draped over her body, "When you were a lot younger and I took care of you, I used to hold you like this when you cried..."

Tao could feel it, the heat, the comfort, the small joy that it brought her to be held so close in comforting arms. She could remember when the white haired scary man had frightened her, when she dropped her most tasty tapioca out in the forest, even when she had lost her mother...this calm embrace gave her a sense of loving peace. With a soft sigh Tao nodded, purring in chorus with Tora as she snuggled deeper into the embrace, "Tao remembers..." Tora chuckled softly, her head resting aside Tao's as she spoke, "What is the matter Tao?" Tao hesitated for a moment, her body stiffening slightly in the elder Kaka's grip. However, another soothing purr set the Kaka at ease, relaxing her as she spoke, "H...Heart-Guy hates meow."

"Hm?" Tora questioned, her arms squeezing Tao with gentle reassurance, "And what makes you say that?" "He...He yelled at Tao..." Tao muttered, the distinct beginnings of a sniffle accompanying her voice, "And now he hates Tao...Tao doesn't want him to go away." Tora sighed softly, her body gradually beginning to rock from side to side, her hypnotic and soothing purr rising in her chest as Tao sniffled more and more, "I don't think he hates you Tao, Kagimaru seems too nice to hate a sweet Kaka like you." Tao sniffled slightly, nuzzling into Tora's embrace for reassurance, "R-Really?" Tora nodded, a small smile breaking the shadow of her hood as she continued her thoughts, "Of course Tao, meow. I think Heart Guy really cares for Tao he just, well..."

At this moment Tora began to feel slightly awkward, her soothing purr skipping a beat as she attempted to think of the best way to say it, "Tao, have you been spending extra time with Kagimaru?" Tao smiled instantly, despite her stream of sniffles the hyper Tao grinned like an idiot, "Yep! Tao has been sticking around Heart Guy like a bad itch, nya!" Tora couldn't stop herself from releasing an amused if a bit awkward smile, Tao's simplistic and blunt view of the world glaring as ever as Tora spoke, "Don't you think Kagimaru can take care of himself? He might be annoyed at you being around and worrying so much about him every second of the day."

Suddenly Tao grew very quiet, not even a single breath escaping from the Kaka warrior as Tora continued to rock and purr in comfort. Despite the silence Tora continued her dance, relaxing Tao until finally the full truth began to bubble from Tao's oddly nervous voice, "Tao...doesn't want anything bad to happen to Heart Guy...ever again and...Tao is scared that something will, meow...so Tao will do anything to keep Heart Guy around Tao forever." Tora giggled softly as she gave her response, "So why don't you tell Kagimaru that?" Despite Tao's reputation for her shameless attitude toward many things, from food to clothing, she was quick to resemble a blood red Christmas tree bulb, her face burning brightly in the darkness of her hood as she stuttered, "N-Nya?"

Tora giggled again, gently rubbing the top of Tao's head as she purred that same soothing song, "You heard me Tao; tell Kagimaru exactly what you just told me." "Meow," Tao whined, her tail twitching as her face continued to heat with a cherry flush, "Heart Guy is so mad at Tao...besides; Heart Guy already knows Tao wants to be around Heart Guy forever!" "Hm," Tora purred curiously, the tone of Tora's voice slightly worrying Tao, "When did you tell Kagimaru that Tao?" Tao hesitated for a few moments before she nervously and loudly laughed, her mind replaying the scene before her fight with Fu as she quickly responded, "Oh Tao doesn't remember meow, Tao just remembers she did!"

Tora raised an eyebrow but said nothing more on the subject, instead turning the direction of the conversation with a clever gleam in her crimson stare, "So when you told Kagimaru this...how did Kagimaru take it?" Tao mentally breathed a sigh of relief as she replied, warmth spreading from her chest and a smile lifting her cheeks as she remembered Kagimaru's words, "Heart Guy said would do anything to stay by Tao's side forever too, nya!" The spark in Toras eye became a low flame, mischief rising up as she smirked, "That's not what I meant Tao...I meant did Kagimaru mean it as friends or as mates?"

The sudden implications to Tao came as fast as lightening, thoughts buzzing into the Kaka's head quicker than she could process them...then again, that wasn't much of a difference from before. However there was one thing that stuck in Tao's mind, a single hovering thought that made its way from Tao's sputtering mouth, "A-As meow-ates?" "Um hm," Tora continued, "Maybe Kagimaru thought Tao meant mates instead of friends and that is what he was talking about...unless Tao only wants to be friends with Kagimaru?" "Nya, Tao didn't say that!" Tao suddenly spoke up, her eyes opening wide as she clamped a paw over her mouth. "Oh?" Tora spoke, her ear twitching at the urgency which Tao denied, "So is that what Tao wants to ask Kagimaru?"

Tora had long ago heard from the Elder about Tao's proclamation over Kagimaru, her junior guardian willing to fight through Fukaka, hell, and high water to keep the azure eyed brunette by her side even sealing the deal with a kiss that she pretended to forget...but that didn't stop Tora from having a little fun with her little 'sister' and the younger Kaka's obvious inexperience at this sort of thing. Tao quickly stammered, her uncharacteristic nervousness clashing with her typical loud voice, "B-but what if Torakaka is wrong? Meow, what if Tao asks Heart Guy and he is mean to Tao or doesn't want to see Tao again or-" Tora's paw gently pressed over Tao's mouth stopping Tao's rant, the smooth voice of Tora paving over every doubt that still rung with a new layer of thought, "But what if I'm right?"

If smoke could come from a persons ears Tao would easily be confused with a choo-choo train, Tao's face turning even darker as even more possible outcomes flooded her mind. Eventually Tora removed her paw, Tao's rapidly overloaded mind screeching to a halt as she shouted, "Nya, Tao is soooo confused!" Tora grinned and gently stroked the top of Tao's head with her hefty paw, the loving touch calming down Tao from the edge of her mental break with a few gentle pets and soothing purrs, "Why don't you give it a try Tao? You said it yourself that he said that he liked you and that he wants to be around you." Tao seemed as if she was about to talk once more but Tora cut her off, her grinning teeth gleaming as she released her final blow, "Besides, Kagimaru defeated Arak- I mean the Black Squiggly to save you Tao. I think that means he likes you a lot more than just a friend."

Tao's face seemed to burn with heat, her tail writhing and twitching at the thoughts in her head. Yet, despite the embarrassment it couldn't stop the bright grin on Tao's face. Her million watt smile seemed to shatter the shadow of her hood; the pearly white fangs spread so wide her eyes closed from the force. Tao could only begin to imagine it, Kagimaru holding Tao's paw, kissing Tao...being mates. Tao's face, if at all possible grew even redder, her grin nearly splitting her head in half with its width. Tora's own thoughts were rather amused, Tao's excitement seeming to radiate off the blond Kaka and infect Tora with a sense of anticipation. Tora certainly had one interesting result to turn in to the Elder; after all it was the Elders idea for this little mission...

With a sudden shock both Kaka were torn from their thoughts, a masculine voice screaming out from the depths of the forest, "OH MY GOD!"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~**END**~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Well I think that was a pretty interesting chapter, what about you? As I said in the last chapter Torakaka always seemed to have this little mischievous streak to her that I just had to exploit in this story. Other than that I hope you enjoyed this chapter and please, if you have the time send a review my way and let me know how I'm doing. The next chapter might not happen nearly as quickly as this one did simply because I'm hitting crunch time around here but trust me when I say that Tao is NOT dead. Thank you and have a good night!


	10. Dog, Wolf, and Vampire

Hey there every body! It's good seeing you all after my short two week break...what?...it's been over 2 MONTHS! You left me in the cryochamber for over 2 months! Oh someone is definitely going to hear about this when I get back to the spa...but in all seriousness. Hello one and all, it has been quite a while hasn't it? My excuses are many and unlimited but I won't bore you with them, I'm just going to say I'm sorry and I SWORE I never would let Tao die. I've never broken a promise before and I won't start now. So without further ado please enjoy the next chapter in Tao and the Art of Love!

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing

_Chapter 10: Dog, Wolf, and Vampire  
_

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~**_REBEL 10: START_**~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Kagimaru's steps were swift and powerful as he stomped out into the forest, his hands clenched tightly as he thought about all of the events that had been leading up to his explosion. Sometimes...sometimes he didn't know what to do with Tao! Sure he dealt with her one plenty of occasions when she was acting childish but this was a new level, she had latched onto him like some sort of leech and wouldn't leave him alone! She was a distraction in combat, she was a pest when they were together, and she wouldn't let him have a moment of privacy to use the bathroom by himself! It was absolutely infuriating!

She was constantly fretting over him like a worried mother so much that she got herself into even worse trouble than she had before! Whatever attention Tao used to pay to her surroundings she instead used to focus on him, how long can ANYONE take that kind of annoyance while watching out that their annoyance doesn't get herself killed! He held out as long as he could, he did his very best to be patient and let the damn thing run its course but it never had! And that comment...oh that single comment! Blaming him for her actions, placing problems upon his shoulders when it was only of her doing! It was so much that even his legendary temper couldn't take it, his patience broken like glass and his anger exploding with the force of an atomic bomb.

And he had blown up.

Right in Tao's face.

And she looked like she was about to cry.

Damn it.

"Ugh..." Kagimaru groaned, his steps coming to a slow halt before he leaned against a tree, a single hand covering his face as he grumbled, his mind processing what it was that he had just done. Sure Tao was aggravating lately but...she was still Tao and he still cared about the careless Kaka. Tao's last comment hadn't helped him, that was sure, but he could tell that he was glaring...just by the fear in her eyes when she tried to protest him leaving. And then Tora...that stare she gave him, that chilling confirmation of what he had just done to Tao...it almost made him feel sick again. His free hand fisted tightly, fingernails digging into his palm as he slammed the heel of his hand into the tree at his back, "God damn it..."

It events like this that he wished he had the power to turn back the flow of time, rewind the world a few minutes into the past so he could fix everything he had just messed up. Tao was pissed or crying, a thought that made his heart clench and twinge with pain at every imaginary sob. Tora would send him disappointed looks, her observant eye and natural intelligence scolding him with a silent look. Certainly the Elder would no longer respect the man who...who had just completely and utterly messed it up with the girl he loved. A fresh pang of guilt and grief raced through Kagimaru as he thought about it, his fingers clenching painfully around his face as his fisted fingers slammed into the wooden trunk once more. Tao could be undoubtedly annoying, she could run him ragged with her playful nature, and her limitless energy was exasperating beyond anything he had ever known. Yet, he couldn't deny the way his heart lit up every time he saw her, how much he cared and loved for the Kaka girl. Her bright attitude, her smile, the way that she was always so excited to see him, he loved it and he loved her.

And he had just completely yelled at her.

To her face.

For being herself.

Kagimaru sighed as his temples began to throb and his head pulsed with pain, why did he have to yell like that? Why? Why didn't he just ask her to stop, it had worked before so why couldn't he do it again? Hell, anything would have worked even bringing her out to lunch on the condition that she give him some free time had a better chance of success than yelling at her! Leaning his head back Kagimaru's grip loosened and he started to lightly massage his temples, the back of his skull thumping against the tree as his fist did the same. Well there was only one thing to do at a time like this, fess up to the facts of his mistake, meet back up with Tao and Tora, then see how badly he was going to be torn apart for this one. Given that all members of the Kaka clan were gifted with foot long steel claws the prospect seemed to be more literal than figurative when he thought about it. With a sigh Kagimaru removed his hand from his face, opening his eyes only to be greeted by a pair of steely grey eyes, a piercing gaze set below a single quirked eyebrow.

Surprise raced through Kagimaru like a jolt of lightening, his body jumping back with a yelp and the back of his heel catching on the edge of an upturned root sending him into a sprawling mess on the ground. "Oh dear," a sudden voice spoke, the tone calm and regal with a current of formality that ran below every timber of the beings speech, "are you alright?"

Kagimaru groaned as he slowly started to raise into a sitting position, one hand reaching to his lower back to rub at the now sore spot as he spoke, "Yes, I think so."

Without another word Kagimaru found himself with a white gloved palm thrust into his face, the action swift and deliberate as the voice rose again, "I am terribly sorry, I was curious as to why you were so far out into the woods and mumbling to yourself incoherently. I apologize for startling you so much."

Kagimaru stared at the gloved hand for a few moments before accepting the friendly token, "It's alright, there's no harm done. It's just a bit of a personal crisis is all." With a sudden jerk Kagimaru found himself on his feet once again, the rapid rise draining the blood from his head and causing him a few seconds of dizziness before focusing on the being before him. The man that stood before him was of common stature, his height reaching around Kagimaru's if just a bit taller. His eyes were the same cool steel grey that had shocked Kagimaru and his hair was a matching shade, the long locks trailing down from the back of his head in an immaculate and long pony tail.

His skin was wrinkled and worn, the mark of age which was only accentuated by the finely trimmed grey beard that rested upon his chin. However it was the mans dress that raised the most questions with Kagimaru, his impeccable suit and golden chains causing Kagimaru to wonder exactly what a man with such a formal air and dress was doing so far out in the woods. Before he could ask the man smiled slightly, bowing his head in a form of respect, "Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Valkenhayn R. Hellsing, servant to the house of Alucard."

Feeling rather inadequate at the mans formal introduction Kagimaru did his best to imitate the man, "Um, it is very nice to meet you Mr. Hellsing, uh, my name is Kagimaru and I am a bounty hunter."

Valkenhayn rose from his bow with a sharp snap, his posture stock straight and proper to an unimaginable degree, "Well Mr. Kagimaru, it is a pleasure to make your acquaintance as well. Now, if I may ask, perhaps you can help me with something?"

The man's formal voice spoke in urgency, his tone of worry and confusion bringing Kagimaru's next words spilling from his mouth, "Sure I guess. What is it?"

Valkenhayn gave a short sigh of exasperation, a look of annoyance crossing his features as he glanced about the forest, "I have been looking for an associate of mine and she has yet to appear. She was supposed to deliver something of great importance and it is becoming quite late." To accentuate his point Valkenhayn reached into his pocket and fished out a simple watch, the golden circle linked to his jacket by a chain of the same lustrous metal. Glancing at the watch for a moment Valkenhayn sighed once again, clapping the device shut and slipping it back into his pocket.

For a moment those words rang through Kagimaru's head, familiarity slowly leaking into his mind before it came all in a rush, "Would you perhaps mean Torakaka?"

Valkenhayn's eyebrows suddenly raised, a slightly hopeful tone working its way into his voice as he spoke, "Oh? You know of her?"

Kagimaru smiled slightly, nodding to Valkenhayn's visible relief, "Yes, are you the associate we have been picking leaves for?"

Valkenhayn returned the friendly smile and nodded slightly, "Indeed that would be me."

"Then let me lead you back to where I left Tora," Kagimaru said with a slight jerk of his head back the direction he had come from, "I just came out for a little bit of a...break." Kagimaru's voice dipped in tone as he spoke, his once friendly demeanor falling to a more depressed and sorrowful emotion. Despite his sudden change in tone Valkenhayn said nothing to the younger man, only regarding him with a curious gaze before Kagimaru turned to lead the way.

Before he took a single step a sound drifted to Kagimaru's ears, a familiar vibration that he had come to recognize from Tao and all of her searches for food...it was the sound of a nose sniffing the air. He was about to turn around and question Valkenhayn about the source of the odd sound but he was suddenly stopped. Looking to his shoulder Kagimaru found the pale gloved hand of Valkenhayn resting on his form, the grip a touch too tight as the once friendly man spoke with a strained voice, "Wait a moment Mr. 'Kagimaru' but I do have another small request before we leave."

A bit confused and more than a little worried Kagimaru was turned around by Valkenhayn's hold on his shoulder, his voice only just barely resisting its persistent tremble as he responded, "Uh...s-sure, what is it?"

Valkenhayn's lips drew back into a tight smile, his narrowing steely grey eyes hardening to match the strength of their color as he spoke, "Would you care to spar with an old man? I would like a test to see if my skills have become too rusty..."

Kagimaru blinked a few times in confusion, the dangerous look Valkenhayn sending him screaming danger and death to those who saw it, "Are you su-"

Out of sheer instinct Kagimaru dove to the ground, his body falling flat to the floor as a massive current of wind blasted right above his head. With a thundering crash the tree behind where Kagimaru had been standing was reduced to splinters and above Kagimaru stood Valkenhayn, the once impeccably dressed human leg becoming something of a wolfs paw complete with a set of vicious tearing claws. Kagimaru's eyes snapped open as the foot transformed back into a human shape, Valkenhayn quickly standing once more at perfect attention, "You do have similar movement speed but you certainly lack the attitude, I suppose progress comes with practice."

"Wha...what?" Kagimaru uttered, fear giving rise to a burst of adrenaline as he easily leapt quite some distance away, "What are you talking ab-OH MY GOD!" Before his eyes Valkenhayn seemed to vanish, his body seeming to fade from view into the mists of the forest around them. However, in Valkenhayn's place was a large wolf-like creature, a snarling beast of fang and claw with deep set eyes glaring at him with full intent to kill. In the blink of an eye the beast lunged for Kagimaru, teeth and claws bared for a bloody battle. With every ounce of speed he could muster Kagimaru drew his twin knives from their sheaths, his hands just barely moving with enough speed to draw them up and guard against the wolfs lightening strike. Kagimaru grit his teeth as his feet dug deep into the earth, the powerful full body slam pushing his defense to the full limit by the growling wolf.

With a snarl the beast hopped back, reverting into the impeccable Valkenhayn without so much as a wince of effort, "And the weaponry is also rather impressive. Though, I suppose a few more tests should be enacted to see if my theory is correct."

As Valkenhayn settled into a fighting stance Kagimaru did the same, his mind swirling with thoughts onto how he managed to get into this position in the first place...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~_Spatial Rend_~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Oh ho ho! Well Mr. Reaper, you seem rather spirited today," melodious and cruel laughter floated through the air, a full and pale moon hanging above the flushed crimson of a thousand eternally bloomed roses. The owner of the voice was a petite young looking girl, extraordinarily long blond hair and pale complexion clashing with completely radiant bright crimson eyes. Atop her head were two bows, each of the darkest midnight and rising up like a pair of rabbit ears on either side of her corn silk locks. Her body was swathed with a dark dress, an elegant gown of Victorian fashion and beautiful construction. Strewn across the dress were brilliant crimson accents of crosses and bat like wings, white fills only serving to emphasize the beauty of the ornate wear.

Her feet were clothed in a pair of dark boots, the balls of her feet spotting long platform stilts while the rest lay flat against her sole and heel. In her hand she clutched the handle of a curious umbrella, a dark creation that appeared to be styled to look like a massive and caricaturized cat. At last, by her side fluttered a rotund pink creature, a pudgy bat like thing with wings that could barely hold its engorged body in the air.

"Shut up Rabbit! What the hell is the big idea dragging me here!" snarled a new voice, a rough and roguish tone that seemed to grind against the very air which the owner breathed. The voice belonged to a single man, his glaring heterochromic eyes boring into the young woman with vibrant emerald and bloody scarlet. His hair, a fine silver coloration, lay upon his head in a myriad of spikes and spires, unkempt and frayed in contrast to the girls finely combed and groomed tails. His clothes were of simple black, large hakama pants and form fitting shirt covering his skin with a fine trim of pure white lining the front of his upper body wear.

It was his jacket that caught the most attention, a bright crimson coat that seemed to be eternally bathed in blood and the marks of battle. On the back of one hand was a single red orb, a large bead implanted into the very limb but seeming to not hinder its movements in the slightest. The final and most surprising aspect of his garb was the massive sword that lay at his back, a gigantic slate grey copping blade lying nearly horizontally at his lower back.

"I have been rather bored as of late Ragna," the first voice sang, royalty seeping from every trill as it danced upon the soft wind, "and as repugnant as you are, even you can provide some decent entertainment from time to time."

The comment seemed to strike home, the man known as Ragna growling deep in his throat before letting lose with a violent snarl, "Rachel you evil blood sucking rabbit! I'll tear you apart so you stop fucking with me all the god damn time!" The grinding of steel against steel reverberated in the air, Ragna drawing his gigantic sword as easily as one would pull a twig from their pocket. In seconds Ragna had his blade clutched in a single hand, his one handed hold on the sword not hindering for a second as he struck, "Dead Spike!" From the tip of Ragna's sword came a face of demonic nature, a pitch black beast outlined in the darkest crimson seeming to sprout from the very ground like a monster freeing itself from the chains of hell.

In response the girl known as Rachel merely smirked, "Gii?" Swallowing with fear the little pink blob like bat appeared before Rachel, his body morphing into the shape of gigantic X. With a solid clash Ragna's attack met the pink shield head on, the vibration of metal on metal ringing along side the little bats howl of pain. The second the attack vanished so did Gii revert to his normal form, a silent whimper in his voice as he took his place beside Rachel once again. Rachel's lips pulled back into a coy smile, ruby irises glinting in the moonlight as she softly chuckled, "Oh? Perhaps I was incorrect about you providing me any lasting entertainment."

"Why you little..." Ragna growled, his fist clenching tightly around the handle of his blade and preparing for another assault on the red eyed beauty. However his attempts were quickly cut short as the wind began to pick up, a gentle breeze swiftly turning into gale force winds and causing him to shield his eyes and strain to hold his place among the shearing air. Slowly, the wind began to calm, the hurricane force settling to the same gentle breeze from before. However, with his eyes free to open Ragna found himself alone, Rachel had vanished from the spot in which she had sat only moments before.

"I do believe it is time for you to dance little man," Rachel's voice rang, the direction bringing Ragna to face the air behind him. Hovering quite contentedly was Rachel, a haughty smirk dressing her lips as she gently floated down upon her cat like umbrella. This brought no bit of surprise to Ragna, the light weight Rachel always seemed to be able to float through the air as if she had wings herself. However, it was the fact that one dainty hand extended out to him that caused a trickle of sweat to slip down his brow and drive his body to move in the opposite direction.

In seconds the sky came to life with electricity, thunder echoing across the land as lightening fell. Every strike of lightening brought a new yelp from Ragna, his heels being chased by the pounding lightening as another graceful laugh weaved between the echoing thunder. Despite his impressive speed Ragna could feel every strike grow just a bit closer, every jolt of electricity licking the back of his neck before scorching another patch of fertile earth. Gathering up every last bit of strength and speed he could her growled to himself, drawing whatever power he could for one last ditch effort at victory.

On the face of a dime Ragna turned, just barely missing another lightening strike aimed for his total destruction. Determination welled in his eyes as he raced for the slowly sinking Rachel, her hovering position much lower than before as her melodious laughter coming to a swift halt. A dark grin overcame Ragna's face as he leapt with all of his might, his body flying through the air and missing yet another strike of lightening as he charged. In his hand his blade began to change, the monolithic sword morphing from a cool steel grey to a dark raven black, a monstrous bloody scarlet outline covering the edges of the blade as he howled, "It's over Rabbit! Inferno Divider!"

With a triumphant grin Ragna spun in the air, the feel of flesh against blade drawing a satisfying chuckle from his throat. In a flash he could feel strength return to his limbs, exhaustion evaporating as he drained the very life force from his target. Say what you want but sometimes he loved his gifts. Spinning in mid-air he turned to face Rachel once again, his fist at the ready to deliver a destructive straight punch to send the haughty girl flying...only for all color to drain from his face and for his bones to shiver with dread.

"Well now Ragna, that was not very kind of you," Rachel smiled; her completely unhurt form floating behind an X shaped Gii, "I do believe it is time to teach you some manners. Baden-Baden Lily!" The scarlet bat wings of Rachel's dress rose out from her form as her arms spread wide, the earth beginning to tremble as the roar of thunder became too much to bear.

Ragna swallowed his tongue dry and his throat parched as a single word crossed his lips, "Shit." The world around Ragna became bathed in electric white, a massive bolt of lightening covering his entire being from head to toe in its unspeakable might. He felt every nerve in his body sing, every muscle spasm from the jolting lance from the sky. His voice screamed out but was quickly choked back as he winched his eyes shut, he couldn't show her weakness, he never would...

Just as quickly as it had begun Ragna was released from the thunderous attack, his body falling to the ground with the grace of a ragdoll as Rachel hovered above. She watched with curious eyes, waiting for the moment his body would hit the ground, flopping down and declaring her victory over the silver haired man. Suddenly Ragna's body jumped to life, his form tucking into a quick ball and spinning in the air, landing on his own two feet and glaring up at Rachel with a heated gaze. His entire body steamed from the attack, hissing vapors rising from his skin as white electricity danced along his skin, "Hm...Perhaps you aren't as weak as I so perceived."

Instead of the growl she was expecting Ragna only smirked, his sword wielding arm lifting up before stabbing the pointed blade into the ground with violent force, "Alright Rabbit, no more play time!" His one hand clutched the wrist of the other, the hand with the bright ruby gem on its back, as he stared up at Rachel with a violent grin, "Restriction 666 released, dimensional inter-"

Before he could even finish his words were suddenly cut short, a small hand pressed up against his lips to cease his further jabber, "One moment Ragna, as much as I would love to play with your toy it seems that something else has caught my interest."

Blinking a few times Ragna watched as Rachel took her hand away from his mouth, surprise at her sudden ceasefire drawing more ire than the battle itself had, "Wait what! You drag me all the way out here then just forget about me? Hell no! I'm not putting up with that Rabbit! Restriction 666 released, dimen-"

Once again Ragna found himself with Rachel's dainty fingers pressed over his mouth, however this time the tips of her thumb and forefinger had pinched his mouth shut, his lips held together with surprising strength as Rachel seemed to stare off into the distance. In his silence Ragna glared, mortification and rage burning in his heterochromic eyes as Rachel did her best to ignore the burning glare on the back of her head. Soon enough Rachel released Ragna's mouth, turning to him with a graceful twirl and an odd glint in her eye, "It seems that Valkenhayn has discovered a rather interesting phenomenon and since you seem so adamant to finish our little game then why do you not accompany me?"

"What the old butler guy?" Ragna asked with a gruff growl, memories of the insults at the hand of that man drawing a fresh streak of anger in his blood. Stacking that on top of his indignation at the hands of the small girl in front of him it was almost enough for him to start another battle.

"Yes, Valkenhayn is indeed my most loyal servant," Rachel said with a small smirk, "Much better than the dog of a man you are Ragna."

Ragna's eye twitched angrily, a vein throbbing to burst on his brow as he spoke, "Either fight me Rabbit or take me back! I've got important shit to do and you're just messing it all up!"

"Oh?" Rachel said with a coy smile, a single eyebrow quirked at the taller man, "And what were you to do should I say this phenomenon has something to do with your little 'quest' hm?"

Ragna's eyes narrowed sharply, his heated glare being lost on the smug girl, "What are you playing at Rachel?"

"Oh me? Why nothing at all," Rachel laughed, turning away with a twirling flare. A simple flick of her wrist and a black portal suddenly appeared, a large oval of midnight have hovering just inches above the ground, "However, might you come along to find out if I speak the truth or not? Hm...One wonders if you have the mental capacity for such complex thought."

With that Rachel walked into the portal, the large oval remaining despite her departure from the area. "Oh god dammit," Ragna growled as he raced into the portal, the pitch black door of nothingness vanishing the moment he stepped on through.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~_Spatial Rend_~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Kagimaru grunted as he blocked another strike from the well dressed Valkenhayn, the elderly man betraying his age by giving Kagimaru one of the hardest fights of his life. For the first time he could remember he had not once gone on the offensive nor risked a counter, instead he simply guarded until his muscles ached and his boned burnt with pain. With a flipping kick Valkenhayn easily leapt away, his posture simply flowing into his next attack as he spoke, "What is the matter boy? Has the transfer been too much for you?"

Kagimaru hissed as a powerful leg sweep caught him by surprise, Valkenhayn's blazing foot spinning around for another pass at his ribs. With a lucky twist Kagimaru dodged the burning kick, his body just barely dodging around spinning attack and instead jumping away to resume his blocking stance, "For the last time, I have no idea what you are talking about!"

In the blink of an eye he found Valkenhayn well within his guard, the elderly butler glaring at him with eyes of the coldest steel, "A likely story Yuki." In an instant Kagimaru felt a fist at his chin, a powerful uppercut from his elderly opponent sending him sprawling into the air. The pain had only began to register from the vicious punch when Valkenhayn was beside him in the air, punches and kicks punishing his momentary lack of focus on their accelerating battle. With a swift spin Valkenhayn's leg transformed, a three clawed wolfs hind leg striking Kagimaru across the face and sending him flying head long towards the trunk of an ancient tree, "I'll be sure to scribe it on your head stone."

Kagimaru could only grimace in pain as he watched the tree grow closer, his body sailing head first for the unyielding wood. At this angle there was no doubt it would result with his neck broken, a sickening snap announcing the end of his life and his existence. It would be over relatively fast, his vision fading to black as his heart would slow to a stop...no. No. NO. He couldn't die here, there was no way! There were far too many things to do! He still needed to help the Kaka get back the sky! He still had to find Litchi and help her to find her way back! He still...

His fist clenched as he thought about Tao...

The same Tao he had hurt...

The same Tao he would leave if he died...

The same Tao he could never fix things with if he died!

His muscles began to quake as his anger and determination grew, all the while ignoring the bubbling burn that started to sizzle along his back. The length of his scar began to glow the faintest green and his ocean blue eyes gaining the slightest tint of emerald. Slowly his flesh began to shake, a sickening aura of power gathering around his body as he flew.

Snarling deep in his throat Kagimaru swiftly tucked into a tightly wound ball, his body spinning in mid air and landing on the tree foot first, "I. Won't. DIE!" Kagimaru looked up to find Valkenhayn charging at him in full wolf form, teeth bared and claws brandished with full intent to gut him like a fish. Yet, for some reason the world seemed to move just a bit slower, everything seemed to be passing by just a bit more sluggish than before. It was because of this that he proceeded to launch himself at the howling lupine, two blades held at the ready for his next strike.

Claw met steel and teeth met flesh, Valkenhayn's glistening white fangs turning a bloody crimson as they sunk into the muscles of Kagimaru's arm. Kagimaru winced in pain but that couldn't suppress his enraged smirk, his hand relaxing its grip on his jagged blade and allowing the claws to pass. A quick twist of his body and the claws were no longer a threat, a guttural roar rising up from his gut as he balled his lone hand into a tight fist, "Back OFF!" Kagimaru let loose with all of his strength, every ounce of power he could summon fueling his attack as he caught Valkenhayn in the side of the head with a powerful hook. Kagimaru's aim was straight and true, his hard knuckles zoning in on Valkenhayn's temple with deadly accuracy. The second Kagimaru's fist met with the side of Valkenhayn's head his mouth reacted on instinct, the muscles reflexively slackening as hardened bone dug into the nerve centers of his skull.

Valkenhayn let loose with a whine of anguish as he was thrown off of Kagimaru, his wide eyes and surprised expression a testament to the damage Kagimaru had done. The moment Valkenhayn touched the ground he reverted to his human form, a low grunt signaling his contact with the cool earth before bounding across it in an unceremonious bundle. Kagimaru watched all of this with a pleased smirk, the emerald power along his back beginning to froth as the fang induced wound on his arm ceased to bleed.

Valkenhayn quickly rolled up to his feet, springing up with a slight mark on his brow and only a small bit of dirt on his uniform to show for it, "Humph, all this time and only one strike against me? Pathetic." Despite the swift recovery Kagimaru only chuckled, the arm which had been bitten rising up and showing the nearly healed wound knitting before Valkenhayn's very eyes. With a dismissive sneer Valkenhayn smoothly dusted off his gloves, his body lowering into an attacking stance with full intent to kill, "And yet you would continue?"

Clenching his fist even tighter Kagimaru pointed out with one finger, gesturing to Valkenhayn with it as he spoke, "Bring it."

The air between the two grew heavy with power, rage pouring from both opponents as they attempted to stare the other down. Steel grey met icy blue, shards of green slithering toward the pupil like so many snakes...

"Valkenhayn! That is quite enough!"

Valkenhayn swiftly snapped to attention, turning on his heel only to come face to face with his master, Rachel Alucard with Ragna the Bloodedge standing slightly behind her with an annoyed stare. Seeing Ragna a momentary glare escaped his eyes but it was quickly repealed, instead his body bowing low to Rachel as he spoke his next words, "Yes Madam Rachel. As you wish I shall do." Rising quickly from his bow Valkenhayn swiftly moved to stand directly beside Rachel, his body at stock straight attention with a head held high despite the streaks of mud upon his clothing.

Glancing between Valkenhayn and Rachel, Kagimaru stared in confusion, his clouded and muddled mind trying his very best to make sense of it all. Back and forth, back and forth...master and...master and servant...she called...called him off...threat is...over. Shaking his head a single hand went to the front of his skull as he dropped down to one knee. The energy along his back quickly calmed, settling into its dormant state while the slivers of serpent ivy slipped away from the clear sapphire.

"You there," a voice called out to him, a hazed sound that seemed to come from the end of a long stone tunnel. Glancing up with his hand still on his head he found the short one approaching him, Rachel walking up to him and speaking with her natural haughty tone, "Pray tell, has my servant harmed you in any way?"

Deciding against his better judgment Kagimaru shook his head, swallowing the pain and bruises as he groggily spoke, "No...I'm alright."

"Good," Rachel said, her free hand snapping out and slapping Kagimaru across the face with tremendous force sending the young bounty hunter to the ground in shock. This was more than enough to wake Kagimaru from his blurry haze, confused ocean blue eyes glancing up at the very cross looking young girl, "I will be kind enough to inform you that no matter how intriguing of a phenomenon you may be I shall not allow one such as you to harm my servants in any way without proper punishment. That is my duty and mine alone. Do I make myself clear?"

Blinking a few times in surprise Kagimaru reached his hand up to feel his cheek, the burning red mark and power behind the slap telling him one and only one thing, do not get on this girls bad side, "Y-Yeah...crystal."

"Good," Rachel said as she returned both hands to her cat like umbrella, the chubby little bat by her side hovering quietly as she looked down her nose at him, "now stand so I may have a better look at you."

Not wasting any time Kagimaru jumped to his feet, his height easily outclassing Rachel but as the saying goes, big things come in small packages. Standing in his normal position he watched with curiosity and worry as Rachel began to circle him, those eerie crimson eyes of her staring into his every feature, almost as if she were looking through his body and into his very soul. Only every so often did she seem to hum and make sounds of curiosity, a single quirked eyebrow accompanying the sound before both left just as quickly as they had come.

"This is what we're here for?" The crimson coated Ragna muttered, crossing his arms over his chest with a deep set frown, "Some random guy in the middle of the woods?"

"Quiet Ragna!" Rachel snapped, glancing at him quickly before turning back to Kagimaru, the young bounty hunter familiar with the name but not having a death wish any time today, "He is quite intriguing and I would ask for you to politely not interfere...then again, you are not much for politeness or intelligence for that matter now are you?"

Kagimaru couldn't stop a slight snicker slip past his lips, something that didn't escape Ragna's finely tuned ears, "What the hell are you laughing at!"

Kagimaru coughed slightly, trying his best not to move as he spoke, "Nothing, nothing." Giving Kagimaru a snort of dismissal Ragna did nothing more aside from sending the brown haired man a hooded look as Rachel continued her examination.

"Interesting," Rachel suddenly spoke, stepping away from Kagimaru with a curious gleam in her eye, "it appears you are rather new phenomena, something different."

Kagimaru stared in confusion, reaching up with a free hand and scratching the top of his head with curiosity, "I'm sorry but I don't understand."

Without warning Rachel turned away from Kagimaru with a swirl of her dress, her voice coming out true and clear as she walked back to her butler and Ragna, "Worry nothing of it Kagimaru. However, I do suggest that you do not waste whatever time you have left..."

"Wait, how did you kn-" Before he could even finish his thought they were gone, a massive portal of darkness swallowing the three whole and leading them into parts far unknown. For a moment Kagimaru stood around in confusion, his head spinning with thoughts and questions that he almost couldn't bear it...

"HEART GUY!" Turning on a dime he quickly found himself pounced be a creature in a cream colored jacket, the loud and utterly unforgettable voice of Tao calling out with every last bit of enthusiasm she could ever have. Softness surrounded his head as he was buried in Tao's clothed cleavage, the soft mounds of her breasts squeezing his face tight as her arms held him close, "Heart Guy! Tao was so worried nya! We heard Heart Guy yell and we tried to find Heart Guy but Tao kept getting lost and we couldn't find you nya! Tao is SOOOO happy to see Heart Guy again!"

The whole while Kagimaru's hand valiantly tapped on Tao's shoulder for release, her suffocating embrace cutting off his oxygen until the world began to fade and everything turned to black...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~_Spatial Rend_**_/_Roar of Time**~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

One by one the three appeared once more in the field of roses, each one with a different expression on their face. Ragna's features hovered within the realm of annoyed to bored, his eyes staring off as he thought about what had just transpired in the forest. Valkenhayn stood as still as he could, his eyes closed and a severe expression locked upon his lips. Rachel on the other than had a sliver of a smile on her lips, her deep crimson pools glinting with a peculiar shine as she thought of their unique encounter.

"So what? That's it?" Ragna asked, his hands raising above his head as he quirked an eyebrow, "That's what was so god damn interesting to you?"

In response Rachel simply chuckled, glancing over at Ragna with an infuriatingly calm smile, "Oh dear, Ragna certainly even you could feel it?" Given the confused and aggravated look he sent her she sighed theatrically, shaking her head as she spoke, "So naive...you bore me now Ragna, you are free to go. Until we meet again." Ragna's eyes grew wide and he began to shout out a reply but he was suddenly gone, a pool of raven black swallowing him whole and transporting him to another plane in the blink of an eye.

Silence held for a few moments before Valkenhayn suddenly spoke, his head bowed low as he considered his next words carefully, "Madam, I do not wish to appear presumptuous but what exactly was that...'Kagimaru'?"

For a moment Rachel's smile slipped, a slight tint of sorrow veiling her otherwise luminescent scarlet eyes, "Just another phenomena Valkenhayn, nothing more and nothing less."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~**END**~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Well how did it go? Like it? Hate it? Drop me a review and please tell me what you think! Have a good one now!


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